^ohn  'Henr^^Joweit 


Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church. 

Fifth  Ave. &  Fifty  Fifth  Street 

New  York. 


February  3^    1915. 

My  dear  Mrs.  Speer:- 

Most  certain- 
ly you  may  use  the  pas'-^age   frr>r>.  my 
nevT  "book  in  the  Tvay  you   augrest.   I 
am  grateful  to  have  the  n.ir.iatry  of 
the  little  book  extended. 

7?ith  good  wishes, 

Ycurs  aincerely. 


H     ,       rcnvC^ — - 


Mrs,  Robert  E.  Speer, 


Clv,»,,  ^     ^^«  ^Xc-e-       C^^* 


tibrarjo  of  t:he  theological  ^emmarjp 

PRINCETON  .  NEW  JERSEY 

FROM  THE  LIBRARY  OF 
ROBERT  ELLIOTT  SPEER 


BV  4832  .J66  1914 
Jowett,  John  Henry,  1864- 

1923. 
My  daily  meditation  for  the 

circling  year 


DAILY  MEDITATION 


The  greatest  living  master  of  the  homiletic  art." 
—British   Weekly. 


By   J.    H.  JOWETT.  P.P. 

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FOREWORD 

HE  title  of  this  book  sufficiently  in- 
terprets its  purpose.  I  hope  it  may 
lead  to  such  practical  meditation 
upon  the  Word  of  God  as  will  sup- 
ply vision  to  common  tasks,  and 
daily  nourishment  to  the  conscience  and  will. 
And  I  trust  that  it  may  so  engage  the  thoughts 
upon  the  wonders  of  meditation,  as  will  fortify 
the  soul  for  its  high  calling  in  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord. 

J.    H.    JOWETT. 

Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church, 
New  York. 


JAMUARY    <7Ke    First 


THE  UNKNOWN  JOURNEY 

"  He  went  out  not  knowing  whither  he  went." 
— Hebrews  xi.  6-10. 

BRAM  began  his  journey  without 
any  knowledge  of  his  ultimate  des- 
tination. He  obeyed  a  noble  impulse 
without  any  discernment  of  its  con- 
sequences. He  took  "  one  step,"  and 
he  did  not  "  ask  to  see  the  distant  scene.''  And 
that  is  faith,  to  do  God's  will  here  and  now, 
quietly  leaving  the  results  to  Him.  Faith  is  not 
concerned  with  the  entire  chain ;  its  devoted 
attention  is  fixed  upon  the  immediate  link.  Faith 
is  not  knowledge  of  a  moral  process ;  it  is  fidelity 
in  a  moral  act.  Faith  leaves  something  to  the 
Lord ;  it  obeys  His  immediate  commandment  and 
leaves  to  Him  direction  and  destiny. 

And  so  faith  is  accompanied  by  serenity.  "  He 
that  believeth  shall  not  make  haste  " — or,  more 
literally,  "  shall  not  get  into  a  fuss."  He  shall  not 
get  into  a  panic,  neither  fetching  fears  from  his 
yesterdays  nor  from  his  to-morrows.  Concerning 
his  yesterdays  faith  says,  "  Thou  hast  beset  me 
behind."  Concerning  his  to-morrows  faith  says, 
"  Thou  hast  beset  me  before."  Concerning  his 
to-day  faith  says,  "  Thou  hast  laid  Thine  hand 
upon  me."  That  is  enough,  just  to  feel  the 
pressure  of  the  guiding  hand. 


JANUARY  <lUe 


THE  LARGER  OUTLOOK 

Genesis  xv.  5-18. 

ND  He  brought  him  forth  abroad, 
and  said,  Look  now  toward  heaven !  " 
The  tent  was  changed  for  the  sky ! 
Abraham  sat  moodily  in  his  tent : 
God  brought  him  forth  beneath  the 
stars.  And  that  is  always  the  line  of  the  Divine 
leading.  He  brings  us  forth  out  of  our  small 
imprisonments  and  He  sets  our  feet  in  a  large 
place.  He  desires  for  us  height  and  breadth  of 
view.  For  "  as  the  heavens  are  high  above  the 
earth "  so  are  His  thoughts  higher  than  our 
thoughts,  and  His  ways  than  our  ways.  He 
wishes  us,  I  say,  to  exchange  the  tent  for  the 
sky,  and  to  live  and  move  in  great,  spacious 
thoughts  of  His  purposes  and  will. 

How  is  it  with  our  love?  Is  it  a  thing  of 
the  tent  or  of  the  sky?  Does  it  range  over 
mighty  spaces  seeking  benedictions  for  a  multi- 
tude? Or  does  it  dwell  in  selfish  seclusion,  im- 
prisoned in  merely  selfish  quest  ?  How  is  it  with 
our  prayers?  How  big  are  they?  Will  a  tent 
contain  them,  or  do  they  move  with  the  scope 
and  greatness  of  the  heavens?  Do  they  just  con- 
tain our  own  families,  or  is  China  in  them,  and 
India,  and  "the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth"? 
"  Look  now  towards  the  heavens !  "  Such  must 
be  our  outlook  if  we  are  the  companions  of  God. 


JANUARY   nixe  Third 


THE  NEVER-FAILING   SPRINGS 
Genesis  xvii.  i-8. 


WILL  establish  My  covenant."  The 
good  promises  of  God  are  never  re- 
voked. They  are  Hke  springs  which 
know  no  shrinking  in  times  of 
drought.  Nay,  in  time  of  drought 
they  reveal  a  richer  fulness.  The  promises  are 
confirmed  in  the  hour  of  my  need,  and  the  greater 
my  need  the  greater  is  my  bounty.  And  so  it 
was  that  the  Apostle  Paul  came  to  "  rejoice  in  his 
infirmities,"  for  through  his  infirmities  he  dis- 
covered the  riches  of  Divine  grace.  He  brought 
a  bigger  pitcher  to  the  fountain,  and  he  always 
carried  it  away  full.  "  As  thy  days  so  shall 
thy  strength  be." 

So  I  need  never  fear  that  the  promise  of 
yesterday  will  exhaust  itself  before  to-morrow. 
God's  covenant  goes  with  us  like  the  ever-fresh 
waters  of  the  wilderness.  "  They  drank  of  that 
rock  which  followed  them,  and  that  rock  was 
Christ."  Every  fulfilment  of  God's  promise  is 
the  pledge  of  one  to  come. 

God  has  no  road  without  its  springs.  If 
His  path  stretches  across  the  waste  wilderness 
the  "  fountains  shall  break  out  in  the  desert,"  and 
"  the  wilderness  shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the 
rose." 


JANUARY  ni^e  FourtK, 


THE  GOD  OF  THEIR  SUCCEEDING 

RACE 

Exodus  vi.  2-8. 

APPEARED  unto  Abraham.  .  .  I 
will  be  to  you  a  God."  The  covenant 
made  with  the  father  was  renewed 
to  the  children.  The  father's  death 
did  not  disannul  the  promise  of  the 
Lord.  Death  has  no  power  in  the  realms  of 
grace.  His  moth  and  his  rust  can  never  de- 
stroy the  ministries  of  Divine  love.  Abraham 
died  and  was  laid  to  rest,  but  the  river  of  life 
flowed  on,  and  the  bounties  of  the  Lord  never 
failed.  The  village  well  quenches  the  thirst  of 
many  generations :  and  so  is  it  through  the  gen- 
erations with  the  wells  of  grace  and  salvation. 
The  villagers  have  not  to  dig  a  new  well  when 
the  patriarch  dies :  "  the  river  of  God  is  full  of 
water." 

And  thus  I  am  privileged  to  share  the  spiritual 
resources  of  Abraham,  and  the  still  richer  re- 
sources of  the  Apostle  Paul.  Nothing  was  given 
to  him  that  is  withheld  from  me.  He  is  like  a 
great  mountaineer,  and  he  has  climbed  to  lofty 
heights ;  but  I  need  not  be  dismayed.  All  the 
strength  that  was  given  to  him,  in  which  he 
reached  those  lofty  places,  is  mine  also.  I  may 
share  his  elevation  and  his  triumph.  "  For  the 
promise  is  unto  you  and  your  children,  and  to 
all  that  are  afar  off." 


JANUARY  OKe  FiftK 


THE  FLOWERS  THAT  NEVER  FADE 
I  Peter  i.  1-9. 

N  inheritance  incorruptible."  I  am 
writing  these  words  in  the  Island  of 
Arran.  To-morrow  I  shall  leave  the 
land  behind,  but  I  shall  take  the  land- 
scape with  me !  It  will  be  with  me 
in  the  coming  winter,  and  I  shall  gaze  upon  Goat 
Fell  in  the  streets  of  New  York.  The  land  is  a 
temporary  possession,  the  landscape  abides ! 

The  praise  of  men  often  dies  with  the  shout 
that  proclaims  it.  Another  idol  appears  and  the 
feverish  worship  is  transferred  to  him.  The 
world's  garland  begins  to  fade  as  soon  as  it 
is  laid  upon  the  brow.  The  morning  after  the 
coronation  I  possess  a  handful  of  withering 
leaves.  But  the  garland  of  God's  praise  ac- 
quires new  grace  and  beauty  with  the  years.  It 
is  never  so  fresh  and  flourishing  as  just  when 
everything  else  is  fading  away.  It  is  glorious  in 
the  hour  of  death !  The  soul  goes,  wearing  her 
garland,  into  the  presence  of  the  gracious  Lord 
who  gave  it. 

We  can  begin  even  now  to  wear  the  flowers 
of  Paradise.  We  can  begin  even  now  to  furnish 
our  minds  with  lovely  thoughts  and  memories. 
We  can  have  "  the  mind  of  Christ." 


JANUARY  OKe  SixtK 


"COUNT  YOUR  BLESSINGS 
Psalm  cv.  1-15. 

OUNT  your  blessings !  "  Yes,  but 
over  what  area  shall  I  look  for  them  ? 
There  is  my  personal  life.  Let  me 
search  in  every  corner.  I  have  found 
forget-me-nots  on  many  a  rutty  road. 
I  have  found  wild-roses  behind  a  barricade  of 
nettles.  Professor  Miall  has  a  lecture  on  "  The 
Botany  of  a  Railway  Station."  He  found  some- 
thing graceful  and  exquisite  in  the  midst  of  its 
soot  and  grime.  So  I  must  look  even  in  the  dark 
patches  of  life,  among  my  disappointments  and 
defeats,  and  even  there  I  shall  find  tokens  of  the 
Lord's  presence,  some  flowers  of  His  planting. 

And  there  is  my  share  in  the  life  of  the  na- 
tion. "  Ye  seed  of  Abraham  His  servant,  ye 
children  of  Jacob  His  chosen."  There  are  hands 
that  stretch  out  to  me  from  past  days,  laden 
with  bequests  of  privilege  and  freedom.  Our 
feet  "  stand  in  a  large  place,"  and  the  place  was 
cleared  by  the  fidelity  and  the  courage  of  the 
men  of  old.  I  have  countless  blessings  that  were 
bought  with  blood.  The  red  marks  of  sacrifice 
are  over  all  my  daily  ways.  Let  me  not  take  the 
inheritance  and  overlook  the  blood  marks,  and 
stride  about  as  though  it  were  nought  but  com- 
mon ground.  Mercies  abound  on  every  hand ! 
"  Count  your  blessings  !  "' 


JANUARY    ^l^e    Seventh 


A  JOURNAL  OF  MERCIES 
Nehemiah  ix.  6-1 1. 

HOU  hast  performed  Thy  words  :  for 
Thou  art  righteous."  Frances  Ridley 
Havergal  kept  a  journal  of  mercies. 
She  had  a  record  book,  and  she 
crowded  it  with  her  remembrances  of 
God's  goodness.  She  was  always  on  the  look-out 
for  tokens  of  the  Lord's  grace  and  bounty,  and 
she  found  them  everywhere.  Everywhere  she 
had  communion  with  a  covenant-keeping  God. 
The  Bible  became  to  her  more  and  more  the  his- 
tory of  her  own  life  and  experience.  Promise 
after  promise  told  the  story  of  her  own  triumphs. 
She  appropriated  the  goodness  of  God,  and  she 
set  her  own  seal  to  the  testimony  that  God  is 
true. 

Many  a  complaining  life  would  be  changed 
into  music  and  song  by  a  journal  of  mercies. 
Many  a  fear  can  be  dispersed  by  a  ready  remem- 
brance. Memory  can  be  made  the  handmaid  of 
hope.  Yesterday's  blessing  can  kindle  the  cour- 
age of  to-day.  That  is  the  purposed  ministry  of 
"  the  days  that  have  been."  We  are  to  harness 
the  strength  of  their  experiences  to  the  tasks 
and  burdens  of  to-day;  and  in  the  remembrance 
of  ..God's  providences  we^shall  march  through  our 
difficulties  with  singing. 


JAKfUARY  Olxe  EigKtK 


HE  IS  FAITHFUL! 
I  Kings  viii.  54-61. 

HERE  hath  not  failed  one  word  of 
all  His  good  promise."  Supposing 
one  word  had  failed,  how  then?  If 
one  golden  promise  had  turned  out 
to  be  counterfeit,  how  then?  If  the 
ground  had  yielded  anywhere  we  should  have 
been  fearful  and  suspicious  at  every  part  of  the 
road.  If  the  bell  of  God's  fidelity  had  been 
broken  anywhere  the  music  would  have  been  de- 
stroyed. But  not  one  word  has  failed.  The  road 
has  never  given  way  in  time  of  flood.  Every 
bell  of  heaven  is  perfectly  sound,  and  the  music 
is  full  and  glorious.  "  God  is  faithful,  who  also 
will  do  it." 

"  God  is  love,"  and  "  love  never  faileth."  The 
lamp  will  not  die  out  at  the  midnight.  The  foun- 
tain will  not  fail  us  in  the  wilderness.  The  con- 
solations will  not  be  wanting  in  the  hour  of  our 
distresses.  Love  will  have  "  all  things  ready." 
"  He  has  promised,  and  shall  He  not  do  it  ?  " 
AH  the  powers  of  heaven  are  pledged  to  the  ful- 
filment of  the  smallest  word  of  grace.  We  can 
never  be  deserted !  "  God  cannot  deny  Himself." 
Every  word  of  His  will  unburden  its  treasure  at 
the  appointed  hour,  and  I  shall  be  rich  with  the 
strength  of  my  God. 


JANUARY  (Ike  NintK 


9 


THE   PERILS   OF   POSSESSIONS 
Genesis  xiii.  1-9. 


HERE  is  nothing  more  divisive  than 
wealth.  As  families  grow  rich  their 
members  frequently  become  alien- 
ated. It  is  rarely,  indeed,  that  love 
increases  with  the  increase  of  riches. 
Luxurious  possessions  appear  to  be  a  forcing-bed 
in  which  the  seeds  of  sleeping  vices  waken  into 
strength.  For  one  thing,  selfishness  is  often 
quickened  with  success.  Plenty,  as  well  as  pen- 
ury, can  "  freeze  the  genial  currents  of  the  soul." 
And  with  selfishness  comes  a  whole  brood  of 
mean  and  petty  dispositions.  Envy  comes  with 
it,  and  jealousy,  and  a  morbid  sensitiveness  which 
readily  leaps  into  strife. 

So  do  our  possessions  multiply  our  tempta- 
tions. So  does  the  bright  day  "  bring  forth  the 
adder."  So  do  we  need  extra  defences  when 
"  fortune  smiles  upon  us."  But  our  God  can 
make  us  proof  against  "  the  fiery  darts  "  of  suc- 
cess. Abram  remained  unscathed  in  "  the  garish 
day."  The  Lord  delivered  him  from  "  the  de- 
struction that  wasteth  at  noonday."  His  wealth 
increased,  but  it  was  not  allowed  to  force  itself 
between  his  soul  and  God.  In  the  midst  of  all  his 
prosperity,  he  dwelt  in  "  the  secret  place  of  the 
Most  High,"  and  he  abode  in  ''  the  shadow  of  the 
Almighty." 


10 


JANUARY    <The    TentK 


THE  LUST  OF  THE  EYE 
Genesis  xiii.  10-18. 


OOK  at  Lot.  He  was  a  man  of  the 
world,  sharp  as  a  needle,  having  an 
eye  to  the  main  chance.  He  boasted 
to  himself  that  he  always  "  took  in 
the  whole  situation."  He  said  that 
what  he  did  not  know  was  not  worth  knowing. 
But  such  "  knowing  "  men  have  always  very  im- 
perfect sight.  Lot  saw  "  all  the  well-watered 
plain  of  Jordan,"  but  he  overlooked  the  city  of 
Sodom  and  its  exceedingly  wicked  and  sinful 
people.  And  the  thing  he  overlooked  was  the 
biggest  thing  in  the  outlook !  It  was  to  prove 
his  undoing,  and  to  bring  his  presumptuous 
selfishness  to  the  ground. 

Look  at  Abram.  His  spirit  was  cool  and 
thoughtful,  unheated  by  the  feverish  yearning 
after  increased  possessions.  He  had  a  "  quiet 
eye,"  the  fruit  of  his  faithful  communion  with 
God.  He  was  more  intent  on  peace  than  plenty. 
He  preferred  fraternal  fellowship  to  selfish  in- 
crease. And  so  he  chose  the  unselfish  way,  and 
along  that  way  he  discovered  the  blessing  of 
God.  "  The  Lord  is  mindful  of  His  own.  He 
remembereth  His  children."  In  the  unselfish 
way  we  always  enjoy  the  Divine  companionship, 
and  in  that  companionship  we  are  endowed  with 
inconceivable  wealth. 


JANUARY    m^e    EleOentK 


II 


SELF-MADE   OR  GOD-MADE 
Matthew  vi.  26-33. 

HINK  of  Lot  and  then  think  of  a 
Hly  of  the  field !  Think  of  the  fever- 
ishness  of  the  one  and  of  the  serenity 
of  the  other,  or  think  of  the  ugly 
selfishness  of  the  one,  and  of  the 
graceful  beauty  of  the  other !  Look  upon 
avarice  at  its  worst,  upon  a  Shylock,  and 
then  gaze  upon  a  lily  of  the  field  !  How  alarming 
is  the  contrast !  The  one  is  self-made,  guided  by 
vicious  impulses ;  the  other  is  the  handiwork  of 
God.  The  one  is  rooted  in  self-will ;  the  other  is 
rooted  in  the  power  of  the  Divine  grace.  God 
has  nothing  to  do  with  the  one ;  He  has  every- 
thing to  do  with  the  other.  So  one  becomes 
"  big  "  and  ugly ;  the  other  grows  in  strength  and 
beauty. 

Now  the  wonder  is  this,  that  we,  too,  may  be 
rooted  in  the  power  from  which  the  lily  draws 
its  grace.  We  may  draw  into  our  souls  the 
wealth  of  the  Eternal,  even  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ.  We  may  put  on  "  the  beauty  of 
holiness."  We  may  become  clothed  in  the  graces 
of  the  Spirit.  When  we  are  in  the  field  of  the 
lilies  we  may  appear  unto  the  Lord  as  kindred 
flowers  of  His  own  garden. 

"  He  that  abideth  in  Me  and  I  in  him  the 
same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit."  "  Rooted  in 
Him,"  we  shall  "  grow  up  in  all  things  unto 
Him." 


12 


JANUARY  Olxe  TxvelftK 


i 

g 

1 

TWO  OPPOSITES 
"If  any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the 
Father  is  not  in  him." — i  John  ii.  13-17. 

O  man  can  love  two  opposites  any 
more  than  he  can  walk  in  contrary 
directions  at  the  same  time.  No  man 
can  at  once  be  mean  and  magnani- 
mous, chivalrous  and  selfish.  We 
cannot  at  the  same  moment  dress  appropriately 
for  the  arctic  regions  and  the  tropics.  And  we 
cannot  wear  the  habits  of  the  world  and  the  gar- 
ments of  salvation.  When  we  try  to  do  it  the 
result  is  a  wretched  and  miserable  compromise. 
I  have  seen  a  shopkeeper  on  the  Sabbath  day  put 
up  one  shutter,  out  of  presumed  respect  for  the 
Holy  Lord,  and  behind  the  shutter  continue  all 
the  business  of  the  world!  That  one  shutter 
is  typical  of  all  the  religion  that  is  left  when  a 
man  "  loves  the  world  "  and  delights  in  its  prizes 
and  crowns.  His  religion  is  a  bit  of  idle  ritual 
which  is  an  offence  unto  God ! 

So  I  must  make  my  choice.  Shall  I  travel 
north  or  south?  Which  of  the  two  opposites 
shall  I  love — God  or  the  world  ?  Whichever  love 
I  choose  will  drive  out  and  quench  the  other. 
And  thus  if  I  choose  the  love  of  God  it  will 
destroy  every  worldly  passion,  and  the  river  of 
my  affections  and  desires  will  be  like  "  the  river 
of  water  of  life,  clear  as  crystal."' 


JAMUARY    ^e    TKirteentK 


THE  MIRACLE  IN  A  DRY  PLACE 

Psalm  cvii.  33-43. 

E  turneth  .  .  .  the  dry  ground  into 
water-springs."  This  is  one  of  the 
miracles  of  grace.  The  good  Lord 
makes  a  dry  experience  the  fountain 
of  blessing.  I  pass  into  an  apparently 
waste  place  and  I  find  riches  of  consolation. 
Even  in  "  the  valley  of  the  shadow  "  I  come  upon 
"  green  pastures  "  and  "  still  waters."  I  find 
flowers  in  the  ruts  of  the  hardest  roads  if  I  am 
in  "  the  way  of  God's  commandments."  God's 
providence  is  the  pioneer  of  every  faithful  pil- 
grim. "  His  blessed  feet  have  gone  before." 
What  I  shall  need  is  already  foreseen,  and  fore- 
sight with  the  Lord  means  forethought  and  pro- 
vision. Every  hour  gives  the  loyal  disciples  sur- 
prises of  grace. 

Let  me  therefore  not  fear  when  the  path  of 
duty  turns  into  the  wilderness.  The  wilderness 
is  as  habitable  with  God  as  the  crowded  city,  and 
in  His  fellowship  my  bread  and  water  are  sure. 
The  Lord  has  strange  manna  for  the  children  of 
disappointment,  and  He  makes  water  to  "  gush 
forth  from  the  rock."  Duty  can  lead  me  nowhere 
without  Him,  and  His  provision  is  abundant  both 
in  "  the  thirsty  desert  and  the  dewy  mead." 
There  will  be  a  spring  at  the  foot  of  every  hill, 
and  I  shall  find  "  lilies  of  peace  "  in  the  lonely 
valley  of  humiliation. 


14 


JAKfUART    niie    FourteentK. 


FORGETTING  GOD 

Deuteronomy  viii.  11-20. 

EWARE  .  .  .  lest  when  thou  hast 
eaten  and  art  full  .  .  .  thine  heart 
be  lifted  up,  and  thou  forget  the 
Lord  thy  God."  I  was  in  a  little 
cottage  near  Warwick.  I  said  to  the 
good  man  who  lived  in  it,  "  Can  you  see  the  cas- 
tle ? "  and  he  replied,  "  We  can  see  it  best  in 
the  winter  when  the  leaves  are  off  the  trees.  In 
the  summer  time  it  is  apt  to  be  hid !  "  The  sum- 
mer bounty  hid  the  castle ;  the  winter  barrenness 
revealed  it !  And  so  it  is  in  life.  In  the  season 
of  fulness  we  are  prone  to  be  blind  to  "  the 
house  of  many  mansions,"  and  we  forget  the 
Master  of  the  house,  the  Lord  our  God.  Our 
material  wealth  hides  our  eternal  treasure. 

What,  then,  shall  we  do  in  the  days  of  our 
prosperity,  when  all  our  trees  are  in  full  leaf? 
We  must  pray  that  material  things  may  never 
become  opaque,  that  they  may  be  always  trans- 
parent, so  that  through  the  seen  we  may  behold 
the  unseen.  This  is  a  gift  of  the  Spirit,  and 
it  may  be  ours.  He  will  anoint  our  eyes  with  the 
eye-salve  of  grace,  and  everything  will  become  to 
us  a  symbol  of  something  better,  so  that  even 
in  the  midst  of  material  plenty  our  hearts  will 
be  with  our  treasure  in  heaven.  Everything  will 
be  to  us  "  as  it  were  transparent  glass." 


JANUARY    OKe    FifteentK 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  PRAISE 
Psalm  cxv. 

HE  Lord  hath  been  mindful  of  us : 
He  will  bless  us."  In  that  joyful  as- 
surance there  is  both  retrospect  and 
prospect.  There  is  the  trodden  path- 
way of  Providence,  and  there  is  the 
star  of  hope !  The  eyes  are  steadied  and  re- 
freshed in  sacred  memories,  and  then  they  gaze 
into  the  future  with  serene  and  happy  confidence. 
And  so  the  Ebenezer  of  the  soul  becomes  both  a 
thanksgiving  and  a  reconsecration. 

Now  perhaps  our  hopes  are  thin  because  our 
praises  are  scanty.  Perhaps  our  expectations 
are  clouded  because  our  memories  are  dim. 
There  is  nothing  so  quickens  hope  as  a  journey 
among  the  mercies  of  our  yesterdays.  The  heart 
lays  aside  its  fears  amid  the  accumulated  bless- 
ings of  our  God.  Worries  pass  away  like  cloud- 
lets in  the  warmth  of  a  summer's  morning.  And 
the  recollections  of  God's  goodness  always  make 
summer  even  in  the  wintriest  day. 

Now  I  see  why  the  New  Testatment  is  so 
urgent  in  the  matter  of  praise.  Without  praise 
many  other  virtues  and  graces  cannot  be  born. 
Without  praise  they  have  no  breath  of  life. 
Praise  quickens  a  radiant  company  of  heavenly 
presences,  and  among  them  is  the  shining  spirit 
of  hope. 


i6 


JANUARY    Olte    Sixteenth 


THE    DISTINCTION    OF    BEING 
RECOGNIZED 

John  x.  i-i8. 

HE  Good  Shepherd  knows  His  sheep, 
and  knows  them  by  name.  And  that 
is  what  I  am  tempted  to  forget.  I 
think  of  myself  as  one  of  an  in- 
numerable multitude,  no  one  of 
whom  receives  personal  attention.  "  My  way  is 
overlooked  by  my  God."  But  here  is  the  evangel 
— the  Saviour  would  miss  me,  even  me ! 

At  a  great  orchestral  rehearsal,  which  Sir 
Michael  Costa  was  conducting,  the  man  who 
played  the  piccolo  stayed  his  fingers  for  a  mo- 
ment, thinking  that  his  trifling  contribution  would 
never  be  missed.  At  once  Sir  Michael  raised  his 
hand,  and  said :  "  Stop !  Where's  the  piccolo  ?  " 
He  missed  the  individual  note.  And  my  Lord 
needs  the  note  of  my  life  to  make  the  music  of 
His  Kingdom,  and  if  the  note  be  absent  He  will 
miss  it,  and  the  glorious  music  will  be  broken 
and  incomplete. 

There  is  a  common  vice  of  self-conceit,  but 
there  is  also  a  common  vice  of  excessive  self- 
depreciation.  "  My  Lord  can  do  nothing  with 
me ! "  Yes,  my  Lord  knows  thee  and  needs 
thee !  And  by  the  power  of  His  grace  thou  canst 
accomplish  wonders ! 


V  JANUARY    niie    Seventeenth 


17 


SPIRITUAL  DISCERNMENT 
"My  sheep  hear  My  voice!" — John  x.  19-30. 

HIS  is  spiritual  discernment.  We 
may  test  our  growth  in  grace  by  our 
expertness  in  detecting  the  voice  of 
our  Lord.  It  is  the  skill  of  the  saint 
to  catch  "  the  still  small  voice  "  amid 
all  the  selfish  clamours  of  the  day,  and  amid  the 
far  more  subtle  callings  of  the  heart.  It  needs 
a  good  ear  to  catch  the  voice  of  the  Lord  in  our 
sorrows.  I  think  it  requires  a  better  ear  to  dis- 
cern the  voice  amid  our  joys !  The  twilight  helps 
me  to  be  serious ;  the  noonday  glare  tends  to 
make  me  heedless. 

"And  they  follow  Me!"  Discernment  is  suc- 
ceeded by  obedience.  That  is  the  one  condition 
of  becoming  a  saint — to  follow  the  immediate  call 
of  the  Lord.  And  it  is  the  one  condition  of  be- 
coming an  expert  listener.  Every  time  I  hear  the 
voice,  and  follow,  I  sharpen  my  sense  of  hearing, 
and  the  next  time  the  voice  will  sound  more 
clear. 

"  And  I  gk'e  unto  them  eternal  life."  Yes,  life 
is  found  in  the  ways  of  a  listening  obedience. 
Every  faculty  and  function  will  be  vitalized 
when  I  follow  the  Lord  of  life  and  glory.  "  In 
Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive." 

My  Saviour,  graciously  give  me  the  listening 
ear !     Give  me  the  obedient  heart. 


FALSE  SHEPHERDS 

EZEKIEL  XXxiv.   I-IO. 

HIS  word  of  the  Lord  puts  before  me 
the  unlovely  lineaments  of  the  false 
shepherds. 

They  are  self-seeking.  They 
"feed  theniselz'es,"  but  they  "feed 
not  the  flock."  They  take  up  religion  for  what 
they  can  make  out  of  it !  It  is  a  carnal  ambition, 
not  a  holy  service.  It  is  used  for  getting,  not  for 
giving,  for  self-glorification  and  not  for  self- 
sacrifice.  It  is  selfishness  masquerading  as  holi- 
ness, the  thief  in  the  garb  of  the  shepherd. 

And,  therefore,  the  false  shepherds  are  devoid 
of  sympathy.  "  The  diseased  have  ye  not 
strengthened,  neither  have  ye  healed  that  which 
was  sick."  Selfishness  always  tends  to  benumb- 
ment.  Humaneness  is  fostered  by  sacrifice.  Our 
sympathetic  chords  are  kept  refined  by  chival- 
rous deeds.  Drop  the  deeds  and  all  our  refine- 
ments begin  to  coarsen,  and  we  make  no  response 
to  our  brother's  cries  of  need  and  pain. 

And  because  there  is  no  sympathy  there  is  no 
quest.  "  My  sheep  wandered  .  .  .  and  none  did 
seek  after  them."  How  can  we  seek  them  if  we 
have  never  missed  them,  if  we  have  no  sense  that 
they  are  lost  ?  Our  Lord  came  in  travail  of  soul 
to  "  seek  that  which  was  lost."  And  I  must  share 
His  travail  if  I  would  share  in  the  search. 


JANUARY    <lke    NineteentK  19 


THE  LOST  SHEEP 

EZEKIEL  XXxiv.    II-I9. 

|ND  now,  again,  I  am  bidden  to  con- 
template the  gracious  ministries  of 
ttie  Good  Shepherd. 

The  Good  Shepherd  searches  the 
"  far  country "  for  His  lost  sheep. 
"  /  will  bring  them  .  .  .  out  of  all  places  where 
they  have  been  scattered."  He  goes  into  the 
hard  wilderness  of  cold  indifference,  and  waste- 
ful pride,  and  desolating  sin,  searching  "  high 
and  low  "  for  His  foolish  sheep.  And  no  place 
is  unvisited  by  the  Great  Seeker !  Every  perilous 
ravine,  where  a  sheep  can  be  lost,  knows  the 
footprints  of  the  Shepherd.  And  He  knows  my 
far-country,  and  He  is  seeking  me ! 

And  the  Good  Shepherd  brings  His  wandering 
sheep  back  home.  "  I  will  bring  them  .  .  .  to 
their  own  land."  We  return  from  the  land  of 
pride  to  the  home  of  lowliness,  from  hard  indif- 
ference to  gracious  sympathy,  from  the  barren- 
ness of  sin  to  the  beauty  of  holiness.  We  come 
back  to  God's  beautiful  "  lily-land  "  of  eternal 
light  and  peace. 

And  what  nutriment  the  Good  Shepherd  pro- 
vides for  the  home-coming  sheep  !  "  I  will  feed 
them  in  a  good  pasture."  Our  wasted  powers 
shall  be  renewed  and  strengthened  by  the  fatten- 
ing diet  of  grace.  Love  shall  be  both  host  and 
meat !  "  He  will  satisfy  thy  mouth  with  good 
things." 


20 


JANUARY    OKe    Twentieth, 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  BEAST 

EZEKIEL  XXxiv.  23-31. 

HEN  the  Good  Shepherd  has  charge 
of  His  flock  "  the  wild  beasts  will 
cease  out  of  the  land."*  All  beastly- 
passions  shall  be  destroyed.  The 
fair  gardens  of  our  souls  shall  no 
longer  be  ravaged  by  sleek  pride,  or  fierce  appe- 
tite, or  ravenous  lust.  "  Thou  shalt  tread  upon 
the  lion  and  the  adder,  the  young  lion  and  the 
dragon  shalt  thou  trample  under  feet." 

And  the  forces  of  nature  shall  be  in  friendly 
co-operation.  "/  will  cause  the  shower  to  come 
down  in  his  season/'  We  are  to  have  mystic 
allies  in  sky  and  field.  Nature  sides  with  the 
man  who  sides  with  God.  Our  very  garden  be- 
comes our  helpmeet  when  we  are  cultivating  the 
fruits  of  the  Spirit.  The  heavens  assume  a 
friendly  aspect  when  we  are  "  marching  to  beau- 
tiful Zion."  But  when  we  are  against  the  Lord 
all  these  forces  appear  to  be  hostile.  "  The 
stars  in  their  courses  fought  against  Sisera." 

And  we  are  to  have  a  joyful  assurance  of  the 
companionship  of  our  God.  "  This  shall  they 
know,  that  I,  the  Lord  their  God,  am  with  them." 
And  in  that  precious  assurance  every  other  treas- 
ure is  found !  Only  be  sure  of  that,  and  we  shall 
walk  about  as  kings  and  queens ! 


JANUARY    OKe     Tv?ent>)-first 


21 


THE  VALUE  OF  ONE  SOUL 

Matthew  xviii.  7-14. 

HAT  an  infinite  value  the  Lord  at- 
taches to  one  soul !  "  And  one  of 
them  be  gone  astray !  "  I  thought 
He  might  never  have  missed  the  one  ! 
And  yet  the  Eastern  shepherd  says 
that  out  of  his  great  flock  he  can  miss  the  indi- 
vidual face.  A  face  is  missing,  as  though  a  child 
were  absent  from  the  family  circle.  When  a 
soul  is  wandering  in  the  far  country  there  is  an 
awful  gap  in  the  Father's  house !  Is  thy  place 
empty?     Is  mine? 

And  mark  the  pangs  of  the  Shepherd's  quest. 
He  "  goeth  into  the  mountain  and  seeketh!" 
The  Eastern  shepherd  goes  out  in  tempest,  and 
in  rocky  ravine,  or  in  thorny  scrub  that  tears  the 
hands  and  feet,  he  seeks  and  finds  his  sheep. 
And  my  Lord  sought  me,  in  stony  and  thorny 
places,  in  the  darkness  of  Gethsemane,  and  in 
the  awful  desolations  of  The  Hill. 

And  the  Shepherd  found  His  sheep,  and  He 
returns  across  the  hills  singing  the  song  of  the 
triumph  of  grace — 


"  And  up  from  the  mountains,  thunder-riven, 
And  up  from  the  rocky  steep, 
A  cry  arose  to  the  gates  of  heaven, 

'  Rejoice  !  I  have  found  My  sheep  ! ' 
And  the  angels  echo  around  the  throne, 
'Rejoice!  for  the  Lord  brings  back  His  own! 


JANUARY 


T^v'enty -second 


MY  OWN  SHEPHERD 
Psalm  xxiii. 

OW  shall  we  touch  this  lovely  psalm 
and  not  bruise  it  ?  It  is  exquisite  as 
"  a  violet  by  a  mossy  stone  !  "  Ex- 
position is  almost  an  impertinence, 
its  grace  is  so  simple  and  winsome. 

There  is  the  ministry  of  rest.  "  He  maketh 
me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures."  The  Good 
Shepherd  knows  when  my  spirit  needs  relaxation. 
He  will  not  have  me  always  "  on  the  stretch." 
The  bow  of  the  best  violin  sometimes  requires 
to  have  its  strings  "  let  down."  And  so  my  Lord 
gives  me  rest. 

And  there  is  the  discipline  of  change.  "  He 
leadeth  me  in  the  paths  of  righteousness."  Those 
strange  roads  in  life,  unknown  roads,  by  which 
I  pass  into  changed  circumstances  and  surround- 
ings !  But  the  discipline  of  the  change  is  only 
to  bring  me  into  new  pastures,  that  I  may  gain 
fresh  nutriment  for  my  soul.  "  Because  they 
have  no  changes  they  fear  not  God." 

And  there  is  "  the  valley  of  the  shadow,"  cold 
and  bare  !  What  matter  ?  He  is  there !  "  I  will 
fear  no  evil."  What  if  I  see  "  no  pastures 
green  "  ?  "  Thy  rod  and  Thy  staff  they  comfort 
me !  "  The  Lord,  who  is  leading,  will  see  after 
my  food.  "  Thou  preparest  a  table  before  me  in 
the  presence  of  mine  enemies."  I  have  a  quiet 
feast  while  my  foes  are  looking  on! 


JAMUART    ^e    T^^>enty-tKird        23 


THE  GIVER'S  HAND 

Genesis  iv.  3-15. 

AIN  and  Abel  both  brought  an  offer- 
ing unto  the  Lord,  but  one  was  ac- 
cepted and  the  other  rejected.  It  is 
the  giver  who  determines  the  worth 
or  the  worthlessness  of  the  gift.  God 
looks  not  at  the  gift,  but  at  the  hand  that  brings 
it.  "  Your  hands  are  full  of  blood !  "  "  Your 
hands  are  unclean !  "  The  Lord  demands  "  clean 
hands."  He  will  not  have  our  compliments  if 
there  is  defilement  behind  them.  Our  courtesies 
are  rejected  if  iniquity  attends  them.  The  shin- 
ing gloss  on  the  linen  is  an  offence  if  the  dirt 
looks  through !  Who  cares  for  food  if  presented 
by  unclean  hands  ?  "  Be  ye  clean,  ye  that  bear 
the  vessels  of  the  Lord !  " 

Every  gift  is  welcome  to  the  Lord  if  offered 
with  clean  hands.  A  mite,  or  a  cup  of  cold 
water,  or  our  daily  labour,  or  the  first-fruits  of 
garden  or  field — all  receive  the  blessing  of  our 
God  if  the  hands  that  bring  them  are  free  from 
defilement.  So  is  it  with  everything  we  offer  to 
the  Lord.  A  song  of  praise  makes  sweet  music 
in  the  hearing  of  our  God  if  it  come  from  pure 
lips !  Purity,  as  Thomas  a'  Kempis  says,  gives 
the  wings  which  carry  everything  into  the 
Father's  presence. 


JAMUARY  OKe 


THE  VOICE  OF  THE  DEAD 

Hebrews  xi.  i-6. 

ITH  what  voice  shall  we  speak  when 
we  are  dead?  What  will  men  hear 
when  they  turn  their  thoughts  to- 
ward us?  What  part  of  us  will  re- 
main alive,  singing  or  jarring  in 
men's  remembrance?  It  is  the  biggest  part  of 
us  that  retains  its  voice.  In  some  it  is  wealth, 
in  others  it  is  goodness ;  some  go  on  speaking 
in  their  cruelty,  others  in  their  gentleness.  Cain 
still  speaks  in  his  jealous  passion.  Abel  speaks 
in  his  faith.  Dorcas  speaks  in  her  "  good  works 
and  alms-deeds  which  she  did  " ;  Judas  Iscariot 
speaks  in  his  betrayal.  Yes,  something  goes  on 
speaking.     What  shall  it  be? 

But  these  biggest  things  not  only  continue  to 
speak  in  the  ears  of  memory,  they  persist  as 
actual  forces  in  the  common  life  of  men.  Our 
faith  is  not  buried  with  our  bones,  nor  is  our 
avarice  or  pride.  Our  characters  do  not  die 
when  our  hearts  cease  to  beat.  "  The  evil  that 
men  do  lives  after  them,"  and  so  does  the  good. 
But  deeper  than  our  deeds,  our  dominant  dis- 
positions persist  and  mingle  as  friends  or  enemies 
in  the  lives  of  others.  By  them  we,  being  dead, 
still  speak,  and  we  speak  in  subtle  forces  which 
aid  or  hinder  other  pilgrims  who  are  fighting 
their  way  to  God  and  heaven. 


JANUARY    OKe    Tv;ent3)-fiftK  25 


FIRST,  MY  BROTHER! 

Matthew  v.  17-24. 

IRST  be  reconciled  to  thy  brother." 
We  are  to  put  first  things  first. 
When  we  bring  a  gift  unto  the  Lord 
He  looks  at  the  hand  that  brings  it. 
If  the  hand  is  defiled  the  gift  is  re- 
jected. "  Wash  you,  make  you  clean."  "  First 
be  reconciled  to  thy  brother,  and  then  come  and 
ofifer  thy  gift." 

All  this  tells  us  why  some  resplendent  gifts 
are  rejected,  and  why  some  commonplace  gifts 
are  received  amid  heavenly  song.  This  is  why 
the  widow's  mite  goes  shining  through  the  years. 
The  hand  that  offered  it  was  hallowed  and  puri- 
fied with  sacrifice.  Shall  we  say  that  in  that 
palm  there  was  something  akin  to  the  pierced 
hands  of  the  Lord  ?  The  mite  had  intimate  asso- 
ciations with  the  Cross. 

And  it  also  tells  me  why  so  much  of  our  public 
worship  is  offensive  to  our  Lord.  We  come  to 
the  church  from  a  broken  friendship.  Some 
holy  thing  has  been  broken  on  the  way.  Some- 
one's estate  has  been  invaded,  and  his  treasure 
spoiled.  Someone  has  been  wronged,  and  God 
will  not  touch  our  gift.  "Leave  there  thy  gift; 
first  be  reconciled  to  thy  brother." 


JANUARY    nixe    Txventy-sixtK 


THE  FIRE  OF  ENVY 
"  Where  envying  and  strife  is,  there  is  con- 
fusion and  every  evil  work." — James  iii.  13-18. 

N  Milton's  "  Comus  "  we  read  of  a 
certain  potion  which  has  the  power 
to  pervert  all  the  senses  of  everyone 
who  drinks  it.  Nothing  is  appre- 
hended truly.  Sight  and  hearing  and 
taste  are  all  disordered,  and  the  victim  is  all  un- 
conscious of  the  confusion.  The  deadly  draught 
is  the  minister  of  deceptive  chaos. 

And  envy  is  like  that  potion  when  it  is  drunk 
by  the  spirit.  It  perverts  every  moral  and  spirit- 
ual sense.  The  envious  is  more  fatally  stricken 
than  the  blind.  He  gazes  upon  untruth  and 
thinks  it  true.  He  looks  upon  confusion  and 
thinks  it  order.  Envy  is  colour-blind.  It  is  like 
jealousy,  of  which  it  is  a  blood-relation.  It 
never  sees  anything  in  its  natural  hues.  It  mis- 
interprets everything. 

No  one  can  quench  the  unholy  fire  of  envy 
but  the  mighty  God  Himself.  Itjs  like  a  prairie 
fire  :  once  kindled  it  is_beyond  our  power  to  stamp 
it  out.  But  God's  coolness  is  more  than  a  match 
for  all  our  feverish  heat.  His  quenchings  are 
transformations.  He  converts  the  perverted  and 
changes  envy  into  goodwill.  The  bitter  pool  is 
made  sweet.  For  confusion  He  gives  order,  for 
ashes  He  gives  beauty,  and  in  the  face  of  an  old 
enemy  we  see  the  countenance  of  a  friend. 


JANUARY    ni^e    Twenty-5e^)entK     27 


THE  CONFESSION  OF  SIN 

"  I  acknowledge  my  transgressions;  and  my  sin 
is  ever  before  me." — Psalm  li.  1-12. 

IN  that  is  unconfessed  shuts  out  the 
energies  of  grace.  Confession  makes 
the  soul  receptive  oX  the  bountiful 
waters  of  life.  We  open  the  door  to 
God  as  soon  as  we  name  our  sin. 
Guilt  that  is  penitently  confessed  is  already  in 
the  "  consuming  fire  "  of  God's  love.  When  I 
**  acknowledge  my  sin  "  I  begin  to  enter  into  the 
knowledge  of  "  pardon,  joy,  and  peace."  But  if 
I  hide  my  sin  I  also  hide  myself  from  "  the  un- 
searchable riches  of  Christ."  *'  If  we  confess  our 
sins  He  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins 
and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness." 

I  must  then  make  confession  of  sin  in  my 
daily  exercises  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  I 
am  taking  the  way  to  recovered  victory  when  I 
tell  the  Lord  the  story  of  my  defeat.  Satan 
strengthens  his  awful  chains  when  he  can  induce 
me  to  keep  silence  concerning  my  sin.  All  his 
plans  are  thrown  into  confusion  as  soon  as  I 
"  pour  out  my  soul  before  the  Lord."  When  I 
fall  let  me  not  add  to  my  guilt  the  further  sin  of 
secrecy.  Unconfessed  sin  breeds  in  its  lurking- 
place  and  multiplies  its  hateful  offspring.  The 
soul  that  makes  confession  is  washed  through 
and  through,  and  the  seeds  of  iniquity  are  driven 
out  of  my  soul. 


28  JAKfUART    OKe    T^0ent3)-eigKtK 


CLEAN  'AND  UNCLEAN  ANGER 

Ephesians  iv.  25-32. 

ET  all  anger  be  put  away  from  you." 
And  yet  only  a  moment  ago  the 
Apostle  had  written  the  words,  "  Be 
ye  angry  and  sin  not."  My  power  of 
anger  is  not  to  be  destroyed,  it  is  to 
be  transformed  and  purified.  Anger  can  be  like 
an  unclean  bonfire ;  it  can  also  be  like  "  a  sea  of 
glass  mingled  with  fire."  There  can  be  more 
smoke  than  light  in  it,  more  selfish  passion  than 
holy  purpose.  The  fuel  that  feeds  it  may  be 
envy,  and  jealousy,  and  spite,  and  not  a  big  desire 
for  the  good  of  men  and  the  glory  of  God. 
Worldly  anger  "  is  set  on  fire  of  hell  " ;  holy 
anger  borrows  flame  from  the  altar-fires  of  God. 
Our  anger  reveals  our  character.  What  is  the 
quality  of  our  anger?  What  kindles  it?  Is  it 
incited  by  our  own  wrongs  or  by  the  wrongs  of 
another?  Is  it  set  on  fire  by  self-indulgence  or 
by  a  noble  sympathy  ?  Here  is  a  sentence  which 
describes  the  anger  of  the  Apostle  Paul :  "  Who 
is  made  to  stumble  and  I  burn  not  ? "  Paul's 
holy  anger  was  made  to  burn  by  oppression,  by 
the  cruelty  inflicted  upon  his  fellow-men.  His 
fire  had  nothing  unclean  in  it ;  it  was  pure  as  the 
flame  of  oxygen. 

This  is  the  anger  we  must  cherish.  We  cannot 
"  work  ourselves  up  "  into  it.  We  must  seek  to 
be  "  baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire." 


JANUARY    Olve    T>wenty-nintK 


29 


NOBLE  REVENGE 

"I  have  delivered  him  that  without  cause  is 
mine  enemy." — Psalm  vii.  4. 

HAT  is  the  noblest  revenge,  and  in 
those  moments  David  had  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  spirit  of  his  Lord. 
"If  thine  enemy  hunger,  feed 
him !  " 

Evil  for  good  is  devil-like.  To  receive  a  fa- 
vour and  to  return  a  blow !  To  obtain  the  gift 
of  language,  and  then  to  use  one's  speech  to 
curse  the  giver !  To  use  a  sacred  sword  is  un- 
holy warfare  !    All  this  is  devil-like. 

Evil  for  evil  is  beast-like.  Yes,  the  dog 
bites  back  when  it  is  bitten.  The  dog  returns 
snarl  for  snarl,  venom  for  venom.  And  if,  when 
I  have  been  injured,  I  "  pay  a  man  back  in  his 
own  coin,"  if  I  "  give  him  as  good  as  he  gave," 
I  am  living  on  the  plane  of  the  beast. 

Good  for  good  is  man-like.  When  I  requite 
a  man's  kindness  by  kindness !  When  I  send 
presents  to  one  who  loads  me  with  benefits  !  This 
is  a  true  and  manly  thing  to  do,  and  lifts  us  far 
above  the  beast. 

Good  for  evil  is  God-like.  Yes,  that  lifts  me 
into  "  the  heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus." 
Then  I  have  "  the  mind  of  Christ."  Then  do  I 
unto  others  as  my  Saviour  has  done  unto  me. 


JANUARY    OKe    TKirtietK 


IRRESISTIBLE  ARTILLERY 

"  When  I  cry  unto  Thee,  then  shall  mine  ene- 
mies turn  hack." — Psalm  Ivi. 

UT  it  must  be  a  real  "  cry  "  !  It  must 
not  be  an  idle  recitation  which  sheds 
no  blood.  It  must  be  a  cry  like  the 
cry  of  the  drowning,  a  cry  which 
cleaves  the  air  like  a  bullet.  Said 
a  man  to  me  some  while  ago,  "  Assault  the 
heavens  with  cries  for  me !  "  That  is  the  cry 
which  takes  the  kingdom  by  storm. 

When  such  a  cry  rends  the  heavens,  "  my 
enemies  turn  back."  A  secret  and  irresistible 
artillery  begins  to  play  upon  them,  and  their 
strength  fails.  Yes,  believing  prayer  calls  these 
invisible  allies  into  the  field.  "  The  mountains 
are  full  of  horses  and  chariots  of  fire  round 
about !  "    And  the  enemy  flies  ! 

"  This  I  know."  The  psalmist  is  building  upon 
experience.  The  miracle  has  happened  a  hundred 
times.  Many  a  morning  has  he  seen  the  enemy 
vaingloriously  tramping  the  field,  and  he  has 
cried  unto  the  Lord,  and  before  nightfall  there 
has  been  a  perfect  rout.  Blessed  is  the  man  who 
has  had  such  heartening  dealings  with  the  Lord 
that  he  can  now  face  a  hostile  host  in  unclouded 
faith  and  assurance ! 


JAKfUART 


TKirt9-first 


UNDER  HIS  WINGS 
"In  the  shadow  of  Thy  wings  will  I  make 
my  refuge." — Psalm  Ivii. 

OULD  anything  be  more  tenderly- 
gracious  than  this  figure  of  hiding 
under  the  shadow  of  God's  wings? 
It  speaks  of  bosom-warmth,  and 
bosom-shelter,  and  bosom-rest. 
"  Let  me  to  Thy  bosom  fly !  " 

And  what  strong  wings  they  are !  Under  those 
wings  I  am  secure  even  from  the  lions.  My;_ 
animal  passions  shall  not  hurt  me  when  I  am 
"  hiding  in  God."  The  fiercest  onslaughts  of 
the  devil  are  powerless  to  break  those  mighty 
wings.  The  tenderest  little  chick,  "  one  of  these 
little  ones,"  nestling  behind  this  soft  and  gentle 
shelter,  shall  be  perfectly  secure ;  "  none  of  its 
bones  shall  be  broken." 

I  do  not  wonder  that  this  sheltering  psalmist 
begins  to  sing!  "/  will  sing  and  give  praise!" 
I  have  often  listened  to  the  sheltering  chicks,  hid- 
ing behind  the  mother's  wings,  and  I  have  heard 
that  quaint,  comfortable,  contented  sound  for 
which  our  language  has  no  name.  It  is  a  sound 
of  incipient  song,  the  musical  murmur  of  satis- 
faction. "  I  will  sing  unto  Thee  .  .  .  for  Thy 
mercy  is  great." 


32 


FEBRUARY    ^e    First 


THE  SOUL  IN  PRISON 
Bring  my  soul  out  of  prison!" — Psalm  cxlii. 

TOO,   have   my   prison-house,   and 
only  the  Lord  can  deliver  me. 

There  is  the  prison-house  of  sin. 
It  is  a  dark  and  suffocating  hole, 
without  friendly  light  or  morning 
air.  And  it  is  haunted  by  such  affrighting  shapes, 
as  though  my  iniquities  had  incarnated  them- 
selves in  ugly  and  repulsive  forms.  None  but 
the  Lord  can  bring  me  out. 

And  there  is  the  prison-house  of  sorrow.  My 
griefs  sometimes  wrap  me  about  like  cold  con- 
fining walls,  which  have  neither  windows  nor 
doors.  It  seems  as  though  a  fluid  sorrow  can  con- 
geal into  a  cold,  hard  temperament,  and  hold 
me  in  its  icy  embrace.  And  none  but  the  Lord 
can  bring  me  out. 

And  there  is  the  prison-house  of  death.  I  must 
perforce  pass  through  the  gate  of  death.  Shall 
I  find  it  a  castle  of  gloom,  or  is  there  another 
gate  through  which  I  shall  emerge  into  the  fair, 
sweet  paradise  of  God?  My  Master  is  Lord  of 
the  road !  And  He  tells  me  that  death  shall  not 
be  a  castle  of  captivity,  but  only  a  thoroughfare 
through  which  I  shall  pass  into  the  realm  of 
eternal  day. 


FEBRUARY  ^e 


HOW  TO   APPROACH  A   CRISIS 
"  It  shall  be  given  you  in  that  same  hour." — 
Matthew  x.  16-28. 

ND  so  I  am  not  to  worry  about  the 
coming-  crisis !  "  God  never  is  be- 
fore His  time,  and  never  is  behind !  " 
When  the  hour  is  come,  I  shall  find 
that  the  great  Host  hath  made  "  all 
things  ready." 

When  the  crisis  comes  He  will  tell  me  how  to 
rest.  ,It  is  a  great  matter  to  know  just  how  to 
rest — how  to  be  quiet  when  ''  all  without  tumultu- 
ous seems."  We  irritate  and  excite  our  souls 
about  the  coming  emergency,  and  we  approach  it 
with  worn  and  feverish  spirits,  and  so  mar  our 
Master's  purpose  and  work. 

When  the  crisis  comes  He  will  tell  me  what 
to  do.  The  orders  are  not  given  until  the  ap- 
pomted  day.  Why  should  I  fume  and  fret  and 
worry  as  to  what  the  sealed  envelope  contains? 
"  It  is  enough  that  He  knows  all,"  and  when  the 
hour  strikes  the  secrets  shall  be  revealed. 

And  when  the  crisis  comes  He  will  tell  me 
what  to  say.  I  need  not  begin  to  prepare  my 
retorts  and  my  responses.  What  shall  I  say  when 
death  comes,  to  me  or  to  my  loved  one?  Never 
mind,  He  will  tell  thee.  And  what  when  sorrow 
or  persecution  comes?  Never  mind,  He  will  tell 
thee. 


34 


FEBRUARY  Hl^e  TKird 


TRANSFORMING  THE  HARD  HEART 

The  Lord  "  turned  the  Hint  into  a  fountain  of 
waters." — Psalm  cxiv. 

HAT  a  violent  conjunction,  the  flint 
becoming  the  birthplace  of  a  spring! 
And  yet  this  is  happening  every  day. 
Men  who  are  as  "  hard  as  flint," 
whose  hearts  are  "  Hke  the  nether 
millstone,"  become  springs  of  gentleness  and 
fountains  of  exquisite  compassion.  Beautiful 
graces,  like  lovely  ferns,  grow  in  the  home  of 
severities,  and  transform  the  grim,  stern  soul  into 
a  garden  of  fragrant  friendships.  This  is  what 
Zacchaeus  was  like  when  his  flint  became  a  foun- 
tain. It  is  what  Matthew  the  publican  was  like 
when  the  Lord  changed  his  hard  heart  into  a 
land  of  springs. 

No  one  is  "  too  far  gone."  No  hardness  is 
beyond  the  love  and  pity  of  God.  The  well  of 
eternal  life  can  gush  forth  even  in  a  desert  waste, 
and  "  where  sin  abounds  grace  doth  much  more 
abound."  Let  us  bring  our  hardness  to  the  Lord. 
Let  us  see  what  He  can  make  of  oiir  flint.  When 
we  are  dry  and  "  feelingless,"  and  desire  is  dead, 
let  us  bring  this  Sahara  to  the  great  Restorer, 
and  "  the  desert  shall  rejoice  and  blossom  like  the 
rose." 


FEBRUARY  OTKe  FourtK 


35 


SPIRITUAL  BUOYANCY 

"  When  thou  passeth  through  the  waters  they 
shall  not  overflow  thee." — Isaiah  xliii.  1-7. 

HEN  Mrs.  Booth,  the  mother  of  the 
Salvation  Army,  was  dying,  she 
quietly  said,  "  The  waters  are  rising 
but  I  am  not  sinking."  But  then 
she  had  been  saying  that  all  through 
her  life.  Other  floods  besides  the  waters  of  death 
had  gathered  about  her  soul.  Often  had  the 
floods  been  out  and  the  roads  were  defp  in  afflic- 
tion. But  she  had  never  sunk !  The  good  Lord 
made  her  buoyant,  and  she  rode  upon  the  storm ! 
This,  then,  is  the  promise  of  the  Lord,  not  that 
the  waters  of  trouble  shall  never  gather  about  the 
believer,  but  that  he  shall  never  be  overwhelmed. 
He  shall  *'  keep  his  head  above  them."  Yes,  to 
him  shall  be  given  the  grace  of  "  aboveness." 
He  shall  never  be  under,  always  above !  It  is 
the  precious  gift  of  spiritual  buoyancy,  sanctified 
good  spirits,  the  power  of  the  Christian  hope. 
When  we  are  in  Christ  Jesus  circumstances  shall 
never  be  our  master.  One  is  our  Master,  and 
"  we  are  more  than  conquerors  in  Him  that  loved 
us.  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  His  own 
blood." 


EVERYWHERE  THE  GATE  OF  HEAVEN 

"  Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this  place,  and  I  knew 
it  not." — Genesis  xxviii.  10-22. 

HAT  is  the  first  time  for  many  a  day 
that  Jacob  had  named  the  name  of 
God.  In  all  the  dark  story  of  his 
wicked  intrigue  the  name  of  God  is 
never  mentioned.  Jacob  wanted  to 
forget  God !  God  would  be  a  disturbing  pres- 
ence !  But  here  he  encounters  Him  in  a  dream, 
and  in  the  most  unlikely  place.  "  And  he  was 
afraid,  and  said,  How  dreadful  is  this  place !  " 
Jacob  had  yet  to  learn  that  there  is  everywhere 
"  a  ladder  set  up  on  the  earth  and  the  top  of  it 
reaches  to  heaven."  There  was  a  ladder  from  the 
very  tent  in  which  he  wore  his  deceptive  skin. 
There  was  a  ladder  from  the  secret  place  where 
he  and  his  mother  wove  their  mischievous  plot. 
There  is  no  corner  of  earth  which  is  cut  away 
from  the  Divine  vigilance.  God  gets  at  us  every- 
where. 

But  there  is  a  merciful  side  to  all  this.  If  the 
ladder  be  everywhere,  and  God  can  get  at  us, 
then  also  everywhere  we  can  get  at  God.  There 
are"^*^  ascending  angels  "  who  will  carry  our  con- 
fessions, our  prayers,  our  sighs  and  mournings,  to 
the  very  heart  of  the  eternally  gracious  God. 


FEBRUARY  ^TKe    Sixth 


37 


THE  HOME-BIRD 
Psalm  xci.  1-12. 

READ  a  sentence  the  other  day  in 
which  a  very  powerful  modern  writer 
describes  a  certain  woman  as  "  hav- 
ing God  on  her  visiting  list."  We 
may  recoil  from  the  phrase,  but  it 
very  vitally  describes  a  very  awful  commonplace. 
Countless  thousands  have  God  on  their  visiting 
lists.  They  pay  Him  courtesy-calls,  and  between 
the  calls  He  is  forgotten.  Perhaps  the  call  is 
paid  once  a  week  in  the  social  function  of  wor- 
ship. Perhaps  it  is  paid  more  rarely,  like  calls 
between  comparative  strangers.  How  great  the 
contrast  between  a  caller  and  one  who  dwells  in 
the  secret  place !  It  is  the  difference  between  a 
flirt  and  a  "  home-bird,"  between  one  who  flits 
about  on  a  score  of  fancies,  and  one  who  settles 
down  in  the  solid  satisfaction  of  a  supreme  affec- 
tion. 

"  Shall  abide  under  the  shadow  of  the  Al- 
mighty." Such  is  the  reward  of  the  "  home- 
bird,"  the  settled  friend  of  the  Lord.  The  shadow 
of  the  Lord  shall  rest  upon  him  continually.  I 
sometimes  read  of  our  monarchs  being  "  shad- 
owed "  by  protective  police.  In  an  infinitely 
more  real  and  intimate  sense  the  soul  that  dwells 
in  "  the  secret  place  "  is  shadowed  by  the  sleepless 
grace  and_love  of  God. 


LEAVING  ITS  MARK 


"  Fear  not,  thou  worm  Jacob,  I  will  make  thee 
a  threshing  instniment  with  teeth." — Isaiah  xli. 
8-14. 

OULD  any  two  things  be  in  greater 
contrast  than  a  worm  and  an  instru- 
ment with  teeth?  The  worm  is  deli- 
cate, bruised  by  a  stone,  crushed 
beneath  a  passing  wheel ;  an  instru- 
ment with  teeth  can  break  and  not  be  broken,  it 
can  grave  its  mark  upon  the  rock.  And  the 
mighty  God  can  convert  the  one  into  the  other. 
He  can  take  a  man  or  a  nation,  who  has  all  the 
impotence  of  the  worm,  and  by  the  invigoration 
of  His  own  Spirit  He  can  endow  them  with 
strength  by  which  they  will  leave  a  noble  mark 
upon  the  history  of  their  time. 

And  so  the  "  worm "  may  take  heart.  The 
mighty  God  can  make  us  stronger  than  our  cir- 
cumstances. We  can  bend  them  all  to  our  good. 
In  God's  strength  we  can  make  them  all  pay 
tribute  to  our  souls.  We  can  even  take  hold  of  a 
black  disappointment,  break  it  open,  and  extract 
some  jewel  of  grace.  When  God  gives  us  wills 
like  iron  we  can  drive  through  difficulties  as  the 
iron  share  cuts  through  the  toughest  soil.  "  I 
will  make  thee,"  saith  the  Lord,  "  and  shall  He 
not  do  it  ?  " 


FEBRUARY  Hlie   EigKtK 


REVISITING  OLD  ALTARS 

"I  will  make  there  an  altar  unto  God,  who 
answered  me  in  the  day  of  my  distress." — Gene- 
sis XXXV.  1-7. 

T  is  a  blessed  thing  to  revisit  our  early- 
altars.  It  is  good  to  return  to  the 
haunts  of  early  vision.  Places  and 
things  have  their  sanctifying  influ- 
ences, and  can  recall  us  to  lost 
experiences.  I  know  a  man  to  whom  the  scent 
of  a  white,  wild  rose  is  always  a  call  to  prayer. 
I  know  another  to  whom  Grasmere  is  always  the 
window  of  holy  vision.  Sometimes  a  particular 
pew  in  a  particular  church  can  throw  the  heavens 
open,  and  we  see  the  Son  of  God.  The  old 
Sunday-school  has  sometimes  taken  an  old  man 
back  to  his  childhood  and  back  to  his  God.  So 
I  do  not  wonder  that  God  led  Jacob  back  to 
Bethel,  and  that  in  the  old  place  of  blessing  he  re- 
consecrated himself  to  the  Lord. 

It  is  a  revelation  of  the  loving-kindness  of  God 
that  we  have  all  these  helps  to  the  recovery  of 
past  experiences.  Let  us  use  them  with  rever- 
ence. And  in  our  early  days  let  us  make  them. 
Let  us  build  altars  of  communion  which  in  later 
life  we  shall  love  to  revisit.  Let  us  make  our 
early  home  "  the  house  of  God  and  the  gate  of 
heaven."  Let  us  multiply  deeds  of  service  which 
will  make  countless  places  fragrant  for  all  our 
after  years. 


FEBRUARY  OKe   MintK, 


THE   ROCK  AND    THE   BOWING    WALL 
Psalm  Ixii. 

ERE  are  two  symbols  by  which  the 
psalmist  describes  the  confidence  of 
the  righteous.  "He  only  is  my 
rock."  Only  yesterday  I  had  the 
shelter  of  a  great  rock  on  a  storm- 
swept  mountain  side.  The  wind  tore  along  the 
heights,  driving  the  rain  like  hail,  but  in  the 
opening  of  the  rock  our  shelter  was  complete. 

And  the  second  symbol  is  this :  "  He  is  my 
high  place."  The  high  place  is  the  home  of  the 
chamois,  out  of  reach  of  the  arrow.  "  Flee  as  a 
bird  to  your  mountain !  "  Get  beyond  the  hunt- 
er's range !  Our  security  is  found  in  loftiness.- 
It  is  our  unutterable  privilege  to  live  in  the 
heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus.  Such  is  the  con- 
fidence of  the  righteous. 

In  this  psalm  there  is  also  another  pair  of  sym- 
bols describing  the  futility  of  the  wicked.  The 
wicked  is  "  as  a  bowing  wall."  The  wall  is  out 
of  perpendicular,  out  of  conformity  with  the  truth 
of  the  plumb-line,  and  it  will  assuredly  topple  into 
ruin.  So  is  it  with  the  wicked :  he  is  building 
awry,  and  he  will  fall  into  moral  disaster.  He  is 
also  "as  a  tottering  fence."  The  wind  and  the 
rain  dislodge  the  fence,  it  rots  at  its  foundations, 
and  one  day  it  lies  prone  upon  the  ground. 


FEBRUARY  ^e  TentK 


41 


REGISTERING  A    VERDICT 

"  The  Lord  our  God  will  we  serve,  and  His 
voice  tvill  we  obey." — Joshua  xxiv.  22-28. 

ERE  was  a  definite  decision.  Our 
peril  is  that  we  spend  oiir  life  in 
wavering  and  we  never  decide.  We 
are  like  a  jury  which  is  always  hear- 
ing evidence  and  never  gives  a  ver- 
dict. We  do  much  thinking,  but  we  never  make 
up  our  minds.  We  let  our  eyes  wander  over 
many  things,  but  we  make  no  choice.  Life  has 
no  crisis,  no  culmination. 

Now  people  who  never  decide  spend  their  days 
in  hoping  to  do  so.  But  this  kind  of  life  becomes 
a  vagrancy  and  not  a  noble  and  illumined  cru- 
sade. We  drift  through  our  days,  we  do  not 
steer,  and  we  never  arrive  at  any  rich  and  stately 
haven. 

It  is  therefore  vitally  wise  to  "  make  a  vow 
unto  the  Lord."  It  is  good  to  pull  our  loose 
thinkings  together  and  to  "  gird  up  the  loins  of 
the  mind."  Let  a  man,  at  some  definite  place, 
and  at  some  definite  moment,  make  the  supreme 
choice  of  his  life. 


42 


FEBRUARY    (Ike    Eleventh 


i 

THE  HILL  COUNTRY  OF  THE  SOUL 

Psalm  cxxi. 

HERE  should  be  a  hill  country  in 
every  life,  some  great  up-towering 
peaks  which  dominate  the  common 
plain.  There  should  be  an  upland 
district,  where  springs  are  born,  and 
where  rivers  of  inspiration  have  their  birth.  "  I 
will  lift  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  hills." 

The  soul  that  knows  no  hills  is  sure  to  be 
oppressed  with  the  monotony  of  the  road.  The 
inspiration  to  do  little  things  comes  from  the 
presence  of  big  things.  It  is  amazing  what  dull 
trifles  we  can  get  through  when  a  radiant  love  is 
near.  A  noble  companionship  glorifies  the 
dingiest  road.  And  what  if  that  Companion  be 
God  ?  Then,  surely,  "  the  common  round  and 
daily  task  "  have  a  light  thrown  upon  them  from 
"  the  beauty  of  His  countenance." 

The  "  heavenlies  "  are  our  salvation  and  our 
defence.  "  His  righteousness  is  like  the  great 
mountains."  "  The  mountains  bring  forth  peace 
unto  His  people." 


FEBRUARY  OKe  Tv;elftK 


4S 


THE  BULB  AND  THE  SOIL 

"  He  that  hath  My  commandments,  and  keepeth 
them,  he  it  is  that  loveth  Me." — ^John  xiv.  15-24. 

ES,  but  how  can  I  keep  them?  Some 
one  sent  me  a  bulb  which  requires  a 
certain  kind  of  soil,  but  he  also  sent 
me  the  soil  in  which  to  grow  it.  He 
sent  instructions,  but  he  also  sent 
power.  And  when  I  am  bidden  to  keep  a  com- 
mandment I  feel  as  though  I  have  received  the 
bulb  but  not  the  soil !  But  is  this  God's  way  of 
dealing  with  His  people  ?  I  will  read  on  if  per- 
chance I  may  find  the  gift  of  the  soil. 

"  He  that  abideth  in  Me  .  .  .  the  same  bring- 
eth  forth  much  fruit."  That  is  the  gift  I  seek. 
For  the  keeping  of  His  commandments  the  Lord 
provides  Himself.  I  am  not  called  upon  to  raise 
fruits  out  of  the  soil  of  my  own  will,  out  of  my 
own  infirmity  of  aspiration  or  desire.  I  can  rest 
everything  in  God !  I  can  "  abide  in  Him,"  and 
I  may  have  the  holy  energies  of  the  Godhead 
to  produce  in  me  the  fruits  of  a  holy  and  obedient 
life.  The  good  Lord  provides  both  the  bulb  and 
the  soil. 

It  is  the  tragedy  of  life  that  we  forget  this,  and 
seek  to  make  a  soil-bed  of  our  own.  And  thus 
do  we  suffer  the  calamity  of  fruitless  labour,  the 
heavy  drudgery  of  tasks  beyond  our  strength, 
"  Come  unto  Me.  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest." 


FEBRUARY    Olxe    TKirteentK 


GRUDGES 

"  Thou  shall  not  hear  any  grudge." — Leviti- 
cus xix.  11-18. 

OW  searching  is  that  demand  upon 
the  soul !  My  forgiveness  of  my 
brother  is  to  be  complete.  No  sul- 
lenness  is  to  remain,  no  sulky  temper 
which  so  easily  gives  birth  to  thunder 
and  lightning.  There  is  to  be  no  painful  aloof- 
ness, no  assumption  of  a  superiority  which  rains 
contempt  upon  the  offender.  When  I  forgive, 
I  am  not  to  carry  any  powder  forward  on  the 
journey.  I  am  to  empty  out  all  my  explosives, 
all  my  ammunition  of  anger  and  revenge.  I  am 
not  to  "  bear  any  grudge." 

I  cannot  meet  this  demand.  It  is  altogether 
beyond  me.  I  might  utter  words  of  forgiveness, 
but  I  cannot  reveal  a  clear,  bright,  blue  sky  with- 
out a  touch  of  storm  brewing  anywhere.  But 
the  Lord  of  grace  can  do  it  for  me.  He  can 
change  my  weather.  He  can  create  a  new 
climate.  He  can  "  renew  a  right  spirit  within 
me,"  and  in  that  holy  atmosphere  nothing  shall 
live  which  seeks  to  poison  and  destroy.  Grudges 
shall  die  "  like  cloud-spots  in  the  dawn."  Re- 
venge, that  awful  creation  of  the  unclean,  fever- 
ish soul,  shall  give  place  to  good-will,  the  strong 
genial  presence  which  makes  its  home  in  the  new 
heart. 


FEBRUARY    Hlxe    FourteentK 


45 


IMPERFECT  CONSECRATION 
Matthew  xix.  16-22. 

'HE  rich  young  ruler  consecrated  a 
part,  but  was  unwilling  to  consecrate 
the  whole.  He  hallowed  the  inch  but 
not  the  mile.  He  would  go  part  of 
the  way,  but  not  to  the  end.  And 
the  peril  is  upon  us  all.  We  give  ourselves  to  the 
Lord,  but  we  reserve  some  liberties.  We  offer 
Him  our  house,  but  we  mark  some  rooms  "  Pri- 
vate." And  that  word  "  Private,"  denying  the 
Lord  admission,  crucifies  Him  afresh.  He  has  no 
joy  in  the  house  so  long  as  any  rooms  are  with- 
held. 

Dr.  F.  B.  Meyer  has  told  us  how  his  early 
Christian  life  was  marred  and  his  ministry  para- 
lyzed just  because  he  had  kept  back  one  key  from 
the  bunch  of  keys  he  had  given  to  the  Lord. 
Every  key  save  one !  The  key  of  one  room  kept 
for  personal  use,  and  the  Lord  shut  out.  And  the 
effects  of  the  incomplete  consecration  were  found 
in  lack  of  power,  lack  of  assurance,  lack  of  joy 
and  peace. 

The  "  joy  of  the  Lord  "  begins  when  we  hand 
over  the  last  key.  We  sit  with  Christ  on  His 
throne  as  soon  as  we  have  surrendered  all  our 
crowns,  and  made  Him  sole  and  only  ruler  of  our 
life  and  its  possessions. 


FEBRUARY 


THE  WITNESS  OF  YESTERDAY. 
Psalm  Ixxviii.  i-8. 

UR  yesterdays  are  to  be  the  teachers 
of  our  children.  We  are  to  take 
them  over  our  road,  and  show  them 
the  pitfalls  where  we  stumbled  and 
the  snares  that  lured  us  away.  And 
we  are  to  show  them  how  we  found  the  springs 
of  grace,  and  how  the  Lord  made  Himself  known 
to  us  in  daily  providence  and  care.  We  are  to 
relate  His  exploits.  "  His  wonderful  dealings 
with  the  children  of  men."  We  must  make  our 
life  witness  of  God  to  our  children,  and  when 
their  minds  roam  over  our  road  they  must  see 
it  radiant  with  the  grace  and  mercy  of  the  Lord. 
The  best  inheritance  I  can  give  my  child  is  a 
steadfast  witness  of  my  knowledge  of  God.  The 
testimony  of  a  light  that  never  failed  may  give 
him  the  needful  wisdom  when  his  own  way  be- 
comes troubled  with  clouds  and  darkness.  And 
what  a  story  it  is.  this  story  of  the  deeds  of  our 
gracious  God.  It  is  full  of  quickening  for  weary 
and  desponding  souls.  It  is  a  perfect  reservoir 
of  inspiration  for  those  whose  desire  has  failed, 
and  in  whose  lives  the  wells  of  impulse  have  be- 
come dry.  Let  us  bring  forward  yesterday's 
wealth  to  enrich  the  life  of  to-day.  "  Do  ye  not 
remember  the  miracle  of  the  loaves  ?  " 


FEBRUARY    HTie    SixteentK 


47 


CROWDING  OUT  GOD 
Lest  thou  forget." — Deuteronomy  iv.  5-13. 

HAT  is  surely  the  worst  affront  we 
can  put  upon  anybody.  We  may 
oppose  a  man  and  hinder  him  in  his 
work,  or  we  may  directly  injure  him, 
or  we  may  ignore  him,  and  treat  him 
as  nothing.  Or  we  may  forget  him !  Opposition, 
injury,  contempt,  neglect,  forgetfulness !  Surely 
this  is  a  descending  scale,  and  the  last  is  the 
worst.  And  yet  we  can  forget  the  Lord  God. 
We  can  forget  all  His  benefits.  We  can  easily 
put  Him  out  of  mind.  We  can  live  as  though 
He  were  dead.  "  My  children  have  forgotten 
Me." 

What  shall  we  do  to  escape  this  great  dis- 
aster? "Take  heed  to  thyself!"  To  take  heed 
is  to  be  at  the  helm  and  not  asleep  in  the  cabin. 
It  is  to  steer  and  not  to  drift.  It  is  to  keep  our 
eyes  on  the  compass  and  our  hands  on  the  wheel. 
It  is  to  know  where  we  are  going.  We  never 
deliberately  forget  our  Lord ;  we  carelessly  drift 
into  it.     "  Take  heed." 

"  And  keep  thy  soul  diligently."  Gardens 
run  to  seed,  and  ill  weeds  grow  apace.  The  fair 
things  are  crowded  out,  and  the  weed  reigns 
everywhere.  It  is  ever  so  with  my  soul.  If  I 
neglect  it,  the  flowers  of  holy  desire  and  devo- 
tion will  be  choked  by  weeds  of  worldliness.  God 
will  be  crowded  out,  and  the  garden  of  the  soul 
will   become   a   wilderness   of   neglect  and   sin. 


48 


FEBRUARY    Olte    Seventeenth 


BLESSINGS  AND  CURSINGS 

"  He  read  all  the  words  of  the  law,  the  bless- 
ings and  the  cursings." — Joshua  viii.  30-35. 

E  are  inclined  to  read  only  what 
pleases  us,  to  hug  the  blessings 
and  to  ignore  the  warnings.  We 
bask  in  the  light,  we  close  our  eyes 
to  the  lightning.  We  recount  the 
promises,  we  shut  our  ears  to  the  rebukes.  We 
love  the  passages  which  speak  of  our  Master's 
gentleness,  we  turn  away  from  those  which  re- 
veal His  severity.  And  all  this  is  unwise,  and 
therefore  unhealthy.  We  become  spiritually  soft 
and  anjemic.  We  lack  moral  stamina.  We  are 
incapable  of  noble  hatred  and  of  holy  scorn.  We 
are  invertebrate,  and  on  the  evil  day  we  are  not 
able  to  stand. 

We  must  read  "  all  the  words  of  the  law,  the 
blessings  and  the  cursings."  We  must  let  the 
Lord  brace  us  with  His  severities.  We  must  gaze 
steadily  upon  the  appalling  fearfulness  of  sin, 
and  upon  its  terrific  issues.  At  all  costs  we  must 
get  rid  of  the  spurious  gentleness  that  holds  com- 
promise with  uncleanness,  that  effeminate  affec- 
tion which  is  destitute  of  holy  fire.  We  must  seek 
the  love  which  burns  everlastingly  against  all  sin ; 
we  must  seek  the  gentleness  w^hich  can  fiercely 
grip  a  poisonous  growth  and  tear  it  out  to  its 
last  hidden  root.  We  must  seek  that  holy  love 
which  is  as  a  "  consuming  fire." 


FEBRUARY  Hl^e 


THE   SUBTLETY    OE    TEMPTATION 
James  i.  12-20. 

VIL  enticements  always  come  to  us 
in  borrowed  attire.  In  the  Boer  War 
ammunition  was  carried  out  in  piano 
cases,  and  military  advices  were 
transmitted  in  the  skins  of  melons. 
And  that  is  the  way  of  the  enemy  of  our  souls. 
He  makes  us  think  we  are  receiving  music  when 
he  is  sending  explosives ;  he  promises  life,  but  his 
gift  is  laden  with  the  seeds  of  death.  He  ofifers 
us  liberty,  and  he  hides  his  chains  in  dazzling 
flowers.    "  Things  are  not  what  they  seem." 

And  so  our  enemy  uses  mirages,  and  will-o'- 
the-wisps  and  tinselled  crowns.  He  lights 
friendly  fires  on  perilous  coasts  to  snare  us  to  our 
ruin.  And  therefore  we  need  clear,  sure  eyes. 
We  need  a  refined  moral  sense  which  can  dis- 
cfirninate  between  the  true  and  the  false,  and 
which  can  discern  the  enemy  even  when  he  comes 
as  "  an  angel  of  light."  And  we  may  have  this 
wisdom  from  "  the  God  of  all  wisdom."  By  His 
grace  we  may  be  kept  morally  sensitive,  and  we 
shall  know  our  foe  even  when  he  is  a  long  way 
off. 


$0 


FEBRUARY    OKe    MineteentK 


THE  THOUGHT  AFAR  OFF 
Psalm  cxxxix.  1-12. 

HOU  knowest  my  thought  afar  off." 
That  fills  me  with  awe.  I  cannot  find 
a  hiding-place  where  I  can  sin  in 
secrecy.  I  cannot  build  an  apparent 
sanctuary  and  conceal  evil  within  its 
walls.  I  cannot  with  a  sheep's  skin  hide  the  wolf. 
I  cannot  wrap  my  jealousy  up  in  flattery  and  keep 
it  unknown.  "  Thou  God  seest  me."  He  knows 
the  bottom  thought  that  creeps  in  the  basement 
of  my  being.  Nothing  surprises  God !  He  sees 
all  my  sin.     So  am  I  filled  with  awe. 

"  Thou  knowest  my  thought  afar  off."  This 
fills  me  also  with  hope  and  joy.  He  sees  the 
faintest,  weakest  desire,  aspiring  after  goodness. 
He  sees  the  smallest  fire  of  affection  burning  un- 
certainly in  my  soul.  He  sees  every  movement  of 
penitence  which  looks  toward  home.  He  sees 
every  little  triumph,  and  every  altar  I  build  along 
life's  way.  Nothing  is  overlooked.  My  God  is 
not  like  a  policeman,  only  looking  for  crimes ;  He 
is  the  God  of  grace,  looking  for  graces,  searching 
for  jewels  to  adorn  His  crown.  So  am  I  filled 
with  hope  and  joy. 


FEBRUARY    Hlte    TwentietK 


51 


TAMPERING  WITH  THE  LABEL 

I  John  iii.  4-10. 

IN  is  transgression.  It  is  the  deliber- 
ate climbing  of  the  fence.  We  see 
the  trespass-board,  and  in  spite  of 
the  warning  we  stride  into  the  for- 
bidden field.  Sin  is  not  ignorance,  it 
is  intention.  We  sin  when  we  are  wide-awake! 
There  are  teachers  abroad  who  would  soften 
words  like  these.  They  offer  us  terms  which 
appear  to  lessen  the  harshness  of  our  actions ; 
they  give  our  sin  an  aspect  of  innocence.  But 
to  alter  the  label  on  the  bottle  does  not  change  the 
character  of  the  contents.  Poison  is  poison  give 
it  what  name  we  please.  "  Sin  is  the  transgres- 
sion of  the  law." 

Let  us  be  on  our  guard  against  the  men  whose 
pockets  are  filled  with  deceptive  labels.  Let  us 
vigilantly  resist  all  teachings  which  would  chloro- 
form the  conscience.  Let  us  prefer  true  terms  to 
merely  nice  ones.  Let  us  call  sin  by  its  right 
name,  and  let  us  tolerate  no  moral  conjuring 
either  with  ourselves  or  with  others.  The  first 
essential  in  all  moral  reformation  is  to  call  sin 
"  sin."  "  If  we  confess  our  sin  He  is  faithful  and 
just  to  forgive  us  our  sin." 


52 


FEBRUARY  OKe    Twenty-first 


GRACE  REIGNS! 
Romans  v.  12-21. 

HEN  old  Mr.  Honest  came  to  the 
river,  and  he  entered  the  cold  waters 
of  death,  the  last  words  he  was  heard 
to  utter  by  those  who  stood  on  the 
shore  were  these : — "  Grace  reigns  !  " 
All  through  his  pilgrimage  old  Mr.  Honest  had 
been  in  Emmanuel's  land  where  grace  reigned 
night  and  day.  It  was  through  grace  that  he 
had  found  the  way  of  life.  It  was  through  grace 
that  he  had  been  delivered  from  the  beasts  and 
pitfalls  of  the  road.  It  was  grace  that  had  given 
him  lilies  of  peace,  and  springs  of  refreshment, 
and  the  fine  air  that  inspired  him  in  difficult 
tasks.  And  in  death  he  still  found  "  grace 
abounding,"  and  the  Lord  of  the  changing  road 
was  also  Lord  of  the  dark  waters  through  which 
he  passed  into  the  radiant  glories  of  the  cloud- 
less day. 

In  every  yard  of  a  faithful  pilgrimage  we 
shall  find  the  decrees  of  sovereign  love.  We  are 
never  in  alien  country.  "  Grace  reigns  "  in  every 
hill  and  valley,  through  every  green  pasture  and 
over  every  rugged  road,  in  every  moment  of  "  the 
day  of  life,"  and  in  the  last  sharp  passage  through 
the  transient  night  of  death. 


FEBRUARY   ^Ihe    Twenty-second  53 


THE  THREE  GARDENS 
Revelation  xxii.  1-14. 

I  HE  Bible  opens  with  a  garden.  It 
closes  with  a  garden.  The  first  is  the 
Paradise  that  was  lost.  The  last  is 
Paradise  regained.  And  between  the 
two  there  is  a  third  garden,  the  gar- 
den of  Gethsemane.  And  it  is  through  the  un- 
speakable bitterness  and  desolation  of  Geth- 
semane that  we  find  again  the  glorious  garden 
through  which  flows  "  the  river  of  water  of  life." 
Without  Gethsemane  no  New  Jerusalem !  With- 
out its  mysterious  and  unfathomable  night  no 
blessed  sunrise  of  eternal  hope !  "  We  were 
reconciled  to  God  by  the  death  of  His  Son." 

We  are  always  in  dire  peril  of  regarding 
our  redemption  lightly.  We  hold  it  cheaply. 
Privileges  easily  come  to  be  esteemed  as  rights. 
And  even  grace  itself  can  lose  the  strength  of 
heavenly  favour  and  can  be  received  and  used 
as  our  due.  "  Gethsemane  can  I  forget?  "  Yes, 
I  can ;  and  in  the  forgetf ulness  I  lose  the  sacred 
awe  of  my  redemption,  and  I  miss  the  real  glory 
of  "  Paradise  regained."  "  Ye  are  not  your  own ; 
ye  are  bought  with  a  price."  That  is  the  remem- 
brance that  keeps  the  spirit  lowly,  and  that  fills 
the  heart  with  love  for  Him  "  whose  I  am,"  and 
whom  I  ought  to  serve. 


54        FEBRUARY    OKe    Twenty-tKird 


THE  PROCESS  AND  THE  END 

"  Ye  have  seen  the  end  of  the  Lord:  that  the 
Lord  is  very  pitifid,  and  of  tender  mercy." — 
James  v.  7-1  i. 

ND  so  we  are  bidden  to  be  patient. 
"  We  must  wait  to  the  end  of  the 
Lord.''  The  Lord's  ends  are  at- 
tained through  very  mysterious 
means.  Sometimes  the  means  are 
in  contrast  to  the  ends.  He  works  toward  the 
harvest  through  winter's  frost  and  snow.  The 
maker  of  chaste  and  deUcate  porcelain  reaches  his 
lovely  ends  through  an  awful  mortar,  where  the 
raw  material  of  bone  and  clay  is  pounded  into 
a  cream.  In^  that  mortar-chamber  we  have  no 
hint  of  the  finished  ware.  But  be  patient,  even  in 
this  chamber  of  affliction  the  ware  is  on  the  way 
to  glory ! 

And  so  it  is  with  the  ministries  of  our  Lord, 
He  leads  us  through  discords  into  harmonies, 
through  opposition  into  union,  through  adversi- 
ties into  peace.  His  means  of  grace  are  processes, 
sometimes  gentle,  sometimes  severe ;  and  our 
folly  is  to  assume  that  we  have  reached  His  ends 
when  we  are  only  on  the  way  to  them.  "  The 
end  of  the  Lord  is  very  pitiful,  and  of  tender 
mercy."  "  Be  patient,  therefore,"  until  it  shall 
be  spoken  of  thee  and  me,  "  And  God  saw  that  it 
was  good." 


FEBRUARY    Olie    Tx^^enty-fourtK      55 


MOVING  TOWARDS  DAYBREAK 

"He  hath  brought  me  into  darkness,  hut  not 
into  light." — Lamentations  iii.  1-9. 

UT  a  man  may  be  in  darkness,  and  yet 
in  motion  toward  the  light.  I  was  in 
the  darkness  of  the  subway,  and  it 
was  close  and  oppressive,  but  I  was 
moving  toward  the  light  and  fra- 
grance of  the  open  country.  I  entered  into  a  tun- 
nel in  the  Black  Country  in  England,  but  the 
motion  was  continued,  and  we  emerged  amid 
fields  of  loveliness.  And  therefore  the  great 
thing  to  remember  is  that  God's  darknesses  are 
not  His  goals ;  His  tunnels  are  means  to  get 
somewhere  else.  Yes.  His  darknesses  are  ap- 
pointed ways  to  His  light.  In  God's  keeping  we 
are  always  moving,  and  we  are  moving  to- 
wards Emmanuel's  land,  where  the  sun  shines, 
and  the  birds  sing  night  and  day. 

There  is  no  stagnancy  for  the  God-directed 
soul.  He  is  ever  guiding  us,  sometimes  with  the 
delicacy  of  a  glance,  sometimes  with  the  firmer 
ministry  of  a  grip,  and  He  moves  with  us  al- 
ways, even  through  "  the  valley  of  the  shadow 
of  death."  Therefore,  be  patient,  my  soul !  The 
darkness  is  not  thy  bourn,  the  tunnel  is  not  thy 
abiding  home  !  He  will  bring  thee  out  into  a  large 
place  where  thou  shalt  know  "  the  liberty  of  the 
glory  of  the  children  of  God." 


56 


FEBRUARY    al^e    Twenty-fftK, 


niornms- 


THE  FRESH  EYE 
"  His  compassions  fail  not:  they  are  ne-jo  every 
-Lamentations  iii.  22-33. 
E  have  not  to  live  on  yesterday's 
manna ;  we  can  gather  it  fresh  to- 
day. Compassion  becomes  _stale 
when  it  becomes  thoughtless.  It  is 
new  thought  that  keeps  our  pity 
strong.  If  our  perception  of  need  can  remain 
vivid,  as  vivid  as  though  we  had  never  seen  it 
before,  our  sympathies  will  never  fail.  The 
fresh  eye  insures  the  sensitive  heart.  And  our 
God's  compassions  are  so  new  because  He  never 
becomes  accustomed  to  our  need.  He  always  sees 
it  with  an  eye  that  is  never  dulled  by  the  common- 
place ;  He  never  becomes  blind  with  much  seeing ! 
We  can  look  at  a  thing  so  often  that  we  cease 
to  see  it.  God  always  sees  a  thing  as  though  He 
were  seeing  it  for  the  first  time.  "  Thou,  God, 
seest  me,"  and  "  His  compassions  fail  not." 

And  if  my  compassions  are  to  be  like  a  river 
that  never  knows  drought,  I  must  cultivate  a 
freshness  of  sight.  The  horrible  can  lose  its  hor- 
rors. The  daily  tragedy  can  become  the  daily 
commonplace.  My  neighbour's  needs  can  become 
as  familiar  as  my  furniture,  and  I  may  never  see 
either  the  one  or  the  other.  And  therefore  must 
I  ask  the  Lord  for  the  daily  gift  of  discerning 
eyes.  "  Lord,  that  I  may  receive  my  sight." 
And  with  an  always  newly-awakened  interest  may 
I  reveal  "  the  compassions  of  the  Lord !  " 


FEBRUARY    OKe    Txvent>)-sixtK 


57 


THE  CELLARS  OF  AFFLICTION 
Psalm  xxxiv.  9-22. 

AMUEL  RUTHERFORD  used  to 
say  that  whenever  he  found  him- 
self in  the  cellars  of  afflictions  he  used 
to  look  about  for  the  King's  wine. 
He  would  look  for  the  wine-bottles 
of  the  promises  and  drink  rich  draughts  of  vital- 
izing grace.  And  surely  that  is  the  best  deliver- 
ance in  all  affliction,  to  be  made  so  spiritually 
exhilarant  that  we  can  rise  above  it.  I  might  be 
taken  out  of  affliction,  and  emerge  a  poor  slave 
and  weakling.  I  might  remain  in  affliction,  and 
yet  be  king  in  the  seeming  servitude,  "  more  than 
conqueror  "  in  Christ  Jesus.  It  is  a  great  thing 
to  be  led  through  green  pastures  and  by  still 
waters ;  I  think  it  is  a  greater  thing  to  have  a 
"  table  prepared  before  me  in  the  presence  of 
mine  enemies."  It  is  good  to  be  able  to  sing  in 
the  sunny  noon ;  it  is  better  still  to  be  able  to  sing 
"  songs  in  the  night." 

And  this  deliverance  may  always  be  ours  in 
Christ  Jesus.  The  Lord  may  not  smooth  out  our 
circumstances,  but  we  may  have  the  regal  right 
of  peace.  He  may  not  save  us  from  the  sorrows 
of  a  newly-cut  grave,  but  we  may  have  the  glori- 
ous strength  of  the  immortal  hope.  God  will  en- 
able us  to  be  masters  of  all  our  circumstances, 
and  none  shall  have  a  deadly  hold  upon  us. 


58    FEBRUARY   OKe    T^^)enty-se^entK 


THE  MIGHT  OF  FRAILTY 

Psalm  cv.  23-36. 

HAT  is  the  wonder  of  wonders,  that 
the  Almighty  God  will  use  frail  hu- 
manity as  the  vehicles  of  His  power, 
and  will  make  Moses  and  Aaron 
shine  with  reflected  glory.  Man  can 
send  an  electric  current  into  a  fragile  carbon 
film  and  make  it  incandescent.  He  can  send  his 
voice  across  a  continent,  and  make  it  speak  on  a 
distant  shore.  And  the  Lord  God  can  do  won- 
ders compared  with  which  these  are  only  as  the 
dimmest  dreams.  He  can  send  His  holy  power 
into  human  speech,  and  the  words  can  wake  the 
dead.  He  can  send  His  virtue  into  the  human 
will,  and  its  strength  can  shake  the  thrones  of 
iniquity.  He  can  send  His  love  into  the  human 
heart,  and  the  power  of  its  affection  can  capture 
the  bitterest  foe. 

And  so  the  word  "  impossible  "  becomes  itself 
impossible  when  the  soul  of  man  is  in  fellowship 
with  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  The  pliant  will  becomes 
an  iron  pillar.  The  weak  heart  becomes  "  as  a 
defended  city "  when  it  is  the  home  of  God. 
Dumb  lips  become  the  thrones  of  mysterious  elo- 
quence when  touched  with  divine  inspiration. 


FEBRUARY    Hlxe    Tv?ent9-eigKtK      59 


THE  TEST  OF  FULNESS 

Deuteronomy  viii.  i-io. 

|ND  thou  shalt  eat  and  be  full,  and 
thou  shalt  bless  the  Lord  thy  God." 
Fulness  is  surely  a  more  searching 
test  than  want.  Fulness  induces 
sleep  and  forgetfulness.  Many  a 
man  fights  a  good  fight  with  Apollyon  in  the  nar- 
row way,  who  lapses  into  sleepy  indifference  on 
the  Enchanted  Ground.  Men  often  sit  down  to 
a  full  table  without  "  grace."  Pain  cries  out  to 
God,  while  boisterous  health  strides  along  in 
heedlessness.  Yes,  it  is  our  fulness  that  consti- 
tutes our  direst  peril.  "  This  was  the  iniquity  of 
Sodom,  fulness  of  bread  and  abundance  of  idle- 
ness." 

And  so  our  tests  may  come  on  the  sunny 
day.  A  nation's  supreme  tests  may  come  in  its 
prosperity.  The  sunshine  may  do  more  damage 
than  the  lightning.  The  soul  may  falter  even  in 
Beulah  land,  where  "  the  sun  shines  night  and 
day." 

Prayer  must  not,  therefore,  tarry  until  sick- 
ness and  adversity  come.  We  must  "  pray  with- 
out ceasing  "  in  the  cloudless  noon,  lest  we  are 
stricken  with  "  the  arrow  that  flieth  by  day."  We 
must  seek  the  eternal  strength  when  no  apparent 
enemy  crouches  at  our  gate,  and  when  our  easy 
road  is  lined  with  luxuriant  flowers  and  fruit. 


INVINCIBLE  RELIANCE 

Hebrews  xi.  17-22. 

CCOUNTING  that  God  was  able." 
That  is  the  faith  that  makes  moral 
heroes.  That  is  the  faith  that 
prompts  mighty  ventures  and  cru- 
sades. It  is  faith  in  God's  willing- 
ness and  ability  to  redeem  His  promises.  It  is 
faith  that  if  I  do  my  part  He  will  most  assuredly 
do  His.  It  is  faith  that  He  cannot  possibly  fail. 
It  is  faith  that  when  He  makes  a  promise  the 
money  is  already  in  the  bank.  It  is  faith  that 
when  He  sends  me  into  the  wilderness  the  secret 
harvest  is  already  ripe  from  which  He  will  give 
me  "  daily  bread."  It  is  faith  that  "  all  things 
are  now  ready,"  and  in  that  faith  I  will  face  the 
apparently  impossible  task. 

And  thus  the  "  impossible "  leads  me  to  the 
"  prepared."  The  desert  leads  me  to  "  fields 
white  already."  The  hard  call  to  sacrifice  leads 
me  to  the  "  lamb  in  the  thicket."  "  God  is  able," 
and  He  is  never  behind  the  time.  The  critical 
need  unveils  His  grace.  ""    ' 

Faith  goes  out  on  this  invincible  reliance.  It 
is  "  the  assurance  of  things  hoped  for."  And  by 
faith  it  inherits  these  things  and  is  rich  and  strong 
in  their  possession. 


MARCH    <lke    First 


OVERCHARGING  THE  HEART 

Luke  xxi.  25-36. 

ERE  is  a  great  peril.  Our  hearts  may 
be  "  overcharged  with  surfeiting,  and 
drunkenness,  and  cares  of  this  life, 
and  so  that  day  come  upon  you  un- 
awares." Our  mode  of  living  may 
send  our  spirits  to  sleep.  Yes,  we  may  so  ill-use 
our  bodies  that  the  watchman  sleeps  at  his  post! 
We  can  over-eat,  and  dim  our  moral  sight.  A 
man's  daily  meals  have  vital  relationship  with 
his  vision  of  the  Lord.  If  I  would  have  a  clear 
spirit   I   must  not  overburden  the  fllesh. 

And  therefore  am  I  bidden  to  "  take  heed  "  to 
myself.  I  must  exercise  common  sense,  the  most 
important  of  all  the  senses.  I  must  put  a  bridle 
upon  my  appetite,  and  hold  it  in  subjection  to  my 
Lord. 

And  I  must  "watch!"  The  devil  is  surpass- 
ingly cunning,  and,  if  he  can,  he  will  mix  an 
opiate  even  with  the  sacramental  wine.  He  will 
lure  me  among  the  winsome  poppies,  and  put 
me  into  a  perilous  sleep. 

And  I  must  "pray!"  I  have  a  great  and 
glorious  Defender!  Let  me  humbly  yet  confi- 
dently use  Him,  and  I  shall  be  delivered  from  the 
snares  of  appetite,  and  from  the  benumbing  influ- 
ence of  all  excess. 


THE  POWER  OF  THE  CROSS 
John  x.  11-18. 

LAY  down  my  life."  In  that  su- 
preme sacrifice  all  other  sacrifices 
turn  pale.  In  the  power  of  that 
sacrifice  the  blackest  guilt  finds  for- 
giveness. Its  energies  seek  out  the 
ruined  and  desolate  life  with  glorious  offer  of 
renewal.  When  the  Lord  laid  down  His  life  the 
entire  race  found  a  new  beginning.  Our  hope  is 
born  at  the  Cross.  It  is  there  that  "  the  burden 
of  our  sin  rolls  away."  In  His  night  we  find 
daybreak.  When  He  said,  "  It  is  finished,"  our 
soul  could  sing,  "  Life  is  begun." 

And  so  pilgrims  gather  at  the  Cross.  Songs 
are  heard  there,  the  "  sweetest  ever  sung  by  mor- 
tal tongues."  And  the  power  of  the  Cross  never 
wanes.  Its  glorious  grace  reaches  the  soul 
to-day  as  in  the  earliest  days.  It  inspires  the 
despairing  heart.  It  transforms  the  mind.  It 
remakes  the  tissues  of  the  will.  There  is  no  shat- 
tered power  that  the  power  of  the  Cross  cannot 
restore.     "  We  are  complete  in  Him." 

"  In  the  Cross  of  Christ  I  glory, 

Towering  o'er  the  wrecks  of  time; 
All  the  light  of  sacred  story 
Gathers  round  its  head  sublime." 


MARCH   nixe    Third 


PREPARING  FOR  THE  BRIDE 

John  xiv.  1-14. 

UR  Lord  has  prepared  a  place.  It  is 
the  Bridegroom  "  getting  the  house 
ready  "'  for  the  bride.  And,  there- 
fore, the  preparations  are  not  made 
grudgingly  and  with  slow  reluctance. 
Everything  is  of  the  best,  and  done  with  the 
swift  delight  of  love.  "  Come,  for  all  things  are 
now  ready." 

And  our  Lord  will  fetch  His  bride  to  the  pre- 
pared place.  "  I  am  the  way."  We  become  so 
wrapt  up  in  Him  that  nothing  else  counts.  I 
once  travelled  through  the  Black  Country  with 
a  fascinating  friend,  and  I  never  saw  it !  And  we 
can  become  so  absorbed  in  our  glorious  Bride- 
groom that  we  shall  be  almost  oblivious  of  ad- 
verse circumstances  which  may  beset  us.  Yes, 
even  this  is  possible :  "  He  that  believeth  in  Me 
shall  never  see  death!" 

"  I  will  receive  you  unto  Myself."  The  last 
obscuring  veil  is  to  be  rent,  and  we  are  to  see 
Him  "  face  to  face."  And  that  will  be  home, 
for  that  will  be  satisfaction  and  peace.  The  deep- 
est hunger  of  the  soul  will  be  gratified  in  a  glori- 
ous contentment,  and  we  shall  find  that  "  the  half 
hath  not  been  told." 


64 


MARCH    aire    Fourth 


THE  GREAT  COMPANION 

John  xiv.  15-31. 

ND  so  even  the  road  is  to  have  the 
home-feeling  in  it.  "  /  will  not  leave 
you  orphans."  Yes ;  there  is  to  be 
something  of  home  even  in  the  way 
to  it.  I  find  something  of  Devon- 
shire even  in  Dorsetshire ;  Shropshire  gives  me  a 
taste  of  Wales.  My  Lord  M^ill  not  leave  me 
comfortless.  Heaven  runs  over,  and  I  find  its 
bounty  before  I  arrive  at  its  gate.  The  "  Valley 
of  Baca  "  becomes  "  a  w^ell." 

And  there  are  to  be  wonderful  visions  to  speed 
the  pilgrim's  feet.  "  /  will  manifest  Myself  unto 
him."  At  unexpected  corners  the  glory  will 
break !  We  shall  be  assuming  that  we  have 
picked  up  a  common  traveller,  and  suddenly  we 
shall  discover  it  is  the  Lord,  for  He  will  be  made 
known  to  us  "  in  the  breaking  of  bread."  And  at 
many  "  risings  "  of  the  road,  where  the  climbing 
is  stiff  and  burdensome,  we  shall  be  inspired  with 
many  a  glorious  view,  and  we  shall  see  "  the  land 
that  is  very  far  off." 

The  one  condition  is,  that  I  keep  His  word. 
If  I  am  obedient,  He  will  appear  unto  me,  and 
the  humdrum  road  will  shine  with  miracles  of 
grace. 


MARCH  Olie 


THE  TENT  AND  THE  BUILDING 

2  Corinthians  v.  1-9. 

^T  present  we  live  in  a  tent — "  the 
earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle." 
And  often  the  tent  is  very  rickety. 
There  are  rents  through  which  the 
rain  enters,  and  it  trembles  omi- 
nously in  the  great  storm.  Some  tents  are  frail 
from  the  very  beginning,  half-rotten  when  they 
are  put  up,  and  they  have  no  defence  even 
against  the  breeze.  But  even  the  strongest  tent 
becomes  weather-worn  and  threadbare,  and  in 
the  long  run  it  "  falls  in  a  heap !  "  And  what 
then? 

We  shall  exchange  the  frail  tent  for  the  solid 
house !  "If  the  earthly  house  of  this  taber- 
nacle be  dissolved,  we  have  a  building  of  God,  a 
house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the 
heavens."  When  we  are  unclothed  we  shall  find 
ourselves  clothed  with  our  house  which  is  from 
heaven.  The  glory  of  this  transition  can  only 
be  confessed  by  "  the  saints  in  light."  To  awake, 
and  discover  that  the  creaking,  breaking  cords 
are  left  behind,  that  all  the  leakages  are  over, 
that  we  are  no  longer  exposed  to  the  cutting 
wind,  that  pain  is  passed,  and  sickness,  and 
death — this  must  be  a  wonder  of  inconceivable 
ecstasy ! 

And  "  absent  from  the  body "  we  shall  be 
"  present  with  the  Lord." 


HOME-LIFE  IN  GOD 

John  xvii.  20-26. 

I  HE  home-life  in  God  is  to  be  a  life 
of  perfect  union — ''  /  in  them,  and 
Thou  in  Me."  Home  is  only  another 
name  for  union.  It  is  the  perfect 
fusion  of  life  with  life,  the  harmon- 
izing of  differences  as  many  different  notes  com- 
bine to  form  the  mystery  of  choral  song.  And 
so  will  it  be  in  the  home-land !  Our  manifold 
individualities  will  be  retained,  but  wx  shall  "  fit 
into  one  another,"  and  in  the  perfect  harmony  we 
shall  hear  the  "  new  song  "  of  heaven. 

And  we  are  to  prepare  that  union  by  the  con- 
templation of  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  "  That  they 
may  behold  My  glory."  Yes,  and  we  can  begin 
to  do  that  now.  We  can  lift  our  eyes  away  from 
the  ugly  compromises  of  men  and  fix  them  upon 
the  radiant  holiness  of  the  Lord.  We  can  look 
away  from  the  dirty  Alpine  village  and  gaze 
upon  the  virgin  snow  of  the  uplifted  heights. 
"  Looking  unto  Jesus  !  " 

And  in  that  contemplation  we  shall  most  as- 
suredly become  transformed.  "/  have  gizen 
nnto  them  the  glory  which  Thou  gavest  Me." 
That  is  our  wonderful  possibility.  For  thee  and 
me  is  this  prize  offered,  we  can  "  awake  in  His 
likeness." 


MARCH    nixe    SeOenth. 


67 


THINGS  MISSING  IN  HEAVEN 
Revelation  xxi.  1-7. 

HAT  a  number  of  "  conspicuous  ab- 
sences "  there  are  to  be  in  "  the 
home-land !  " 

No  more  sea !  John  was  in  Pat- 
mos,  and  the  sea  rolled  between  him 
and  his  kinsmen.  The  sea  was  a  minister  of 
estrangement.  But  in  the  home-country  every 
cause  of  separation  is  to  be  done  away,  and  the 
family  life  is  to  be  one  of  inconceivable  intimacy. 
No  more  sea ! 

And  no  more  pain !  Its  work  is  done,  and 
therefore  the  worker  is  put  away.  When  the 
building  is  completed  the  scaffolding  may  be 
removed.  When  the  patient  is  in  good  health  the 
medicine  bottles  can  be  dispensed  with.  And  so 
shall  it  be  with  pain  and  all  its  attendants.  "  The 
inhabitant  never  says  :  '  I  am  sick ! '  " 

And  no  more  death !  "  The  last  enemy  that 
shall  be  destroyed  is  Death."  "  Yes,  he,  too,  shall 
drop  his  scythe,  and  his  lax  hand  shall  destroy 
no  more  for  ever.  Death  himself  shall  die ! 
And  all  things  that  have  shared  his  work  shall  die 
with  him.  "  The  former  things  have  passed 
away."  The  wedding-peal  which  welcomes  the 
Lamb's  bride  will  ring  the  funeral  knell  of  Death 
and  all  his  sable  company. 


MARCH  ^TKe 


THE  CITIZENS  OF  THE  HOME-LAND 

Revelation  vii.  9-17. 

HE  citizen  of  "  the  home-land  "  wears 
white  robes.  His  habits  are  perfectly 
clean.  And  the  purity  which  he 
wears  is  a  Divine  gift  and  not  a 
human  accomplishment.  It  cannot  be 
attained  by  self-sacrifice;  it  is  ours  through  the 
sacrifice  of  our  Lord.  "  They  have  washed  their 
robes  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb." 

And  every  citizen  of  the  home-land  bears  a 
palm  in  his  hand.  It  is  the  emblem  of  conquest 
and  sovereignty.  By  the  grace  of  Christ  they 
have  been  lifted  above  self  and  sin,  and  the  devil, 
and  death,  and  "  made  to  sit  with  Him  "  on  His 
throne.  The  palm  is  the  heavenly  symbol  that  all 
their  spiritual  enemies  are  under  their  feet. 

And  every  citizen  of  the  home-land  takes  part 
in  the  .new  song.  The  home- folk  are  therefore 
one  in  purity,  one  in  self-conquest,  and  one  in 
praise.  "  Salvation  unto  our  God  which  sitteth 
upon  the  throne !  "  In  that  melody  of  thankful- 
ness their  union  is  deepened  and  enriched. 

And  we,  too,  can  begin  now  to  wear  the  white 
robe !  And  even  now  can  we  carry  the  palm ! 
And  even  now  we  can  join  in  the  song  of  cease- 
less praise. 


MARCH  OKe   MintK 


HEARING  HOME! 
2  Timothy  iv.  i-8. 

ERE  is  a  most  valiant  pilgrim  near- 
ing  home !  By  the  mercy  of  Christ 
he  can  look  back  upon  a  brave  day, 
and  there's  a  fine  hopeful  light  in 
the  evening  sky. 
He  has  fought  well!  "I  have  fought  a  good 
fight."  And  his  has  been  a  hard  field.  The 
enemy  has  ever  regarded  him  as  a  leader  in  the 
army  of  the  Lord  and  against  him  has  the  fiercest 
fight  been  waged.  But  he  has  never  lost  or  stained 
his  flag. 

And  he  has  run  well !  "  /  have  finished  my 
course."  There  was  no  melancholy  turning  back 
when  the  feverish  start  had  cooled.  There  was 
no  shrinking  when  the  biting  wind  of  malice  and 
persecution  swept  across  his  track.  On  and  on 
he  ran,  with  increasing  speed  and  ardour,  until 
he  reached  the  goal. 

And  well  had  he  guarded  his  treasure !  "  I 
have  kept  the  faith."  He  was  the  custodian  of 
"  unsearchable  riches,"  and  he  watched,  day  and 
night,  lest  any  infernal  burglar  should  despoil 
him  of  his  wealth.  He  guarded  his  gospel,  his 
liberty,  his  hope,  as  the  sentinels  guard  the  crown 
jewels  in  the  Tower. 

And  now  the  hard  day  is  nearly  over.  "  Hence- 
forth there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteous- 
ness which  the  Lord  will  give  me  at  that  day." 


MARCH   niie    TentK 


EXALTATION  BY  SEPARATION 

2  Corinthians  vi.  11-18. 

HEN  we  turn  away  from  the  world, 
and  leave  it,  we  ourselves  are  not 
left  to  desolation  and  orphanhood. 
When  we  "  come  out  from  among 
them  ''  the  Lord  receives  us !  He  is 
waiting  for  us.  The  new  companionship  is  ours 
the  moment  the  old  companionship  is  ended.  "  I 
will  not  leave  you  comfortless."  What  we  have 
lost  is  compensated  by  infinite  and  eternal  gain. 
We  have  lost  "  the  whole  world  "'  and  gained 
"  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ." 

And  therefore  separation  is  exaltation.  We 
leave  the  muddy  pleasures  of  Sodom  and  we 
"  drink  of  the  river  of  His  pleasures."  We  leave 
"  the  garish  day,"  and  all  the  feverish  life  of 
Vanity  Fair,  and  He  maketh  us  "  to  lie  down  in 
green  pastures,"  "  He  leadeth  us  beside  the  still 
waters."  We  leave  a  transient  sensation,  we 
receive  the  bread  of  eternity.  We  forfeit  fire- 
works, we  gain  the  stars  ! 

What  fools  we  are,  and  blind !  We  prefer  the 
scorched  desert  of  Sodom  to  the  garden  of  Eden. 
We  prefer  a  loud  reputation  to  noble  character. 
We  prefer  delirium  to  joy.  We  prefer  human 
applause  to  the  praise  of  God.  We  prefer  a 
fading  garland  to  the  crown  of  life.  Lord,  that 
we  may  receive  our  sight! 


MARCH    niie    Eleventh 


71 


GOOD  AND  BAD  ROADS 
Psalm  i. 
HERE  is  nothing  breaks  up  more 
speedily  than  a  badly-made  road. 
Every  season  is  its  enemy  and  works 
for  its  destruction.  Fierce  heat  and 
intensest  cold  both  strive  for  its  un- 
doing. And  "  the  way  of  the  ungodly  "  is  an 
appallingly  bad  road.  There  is  rottenness  in  its 
foundations,  and  there  is  built  into  it  "  wood, 
and  hay,  and  stubble."  How  can  it  stand?  "  The 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  breatheth  upon  it,''  and  it  is 
surely  brought  to  nought.  All  the  forces  of  holi- 
ness are  pledged  to  its  destruction,  and  they  shall 
pick  it  to  pieces,  and  shall  scatter  its  elements  to 
the  winds. 

"  I  am  the  way !  "  That  road  remains  sound 
"  in  all  generations."  Changing  circumstances 
cannot  affect  its  stability.  It  is  proof  against 
every  tempest,  and  against  the  most  violent  heat. 
It  is  a  road  in  which  little  children  can  walk  in 
happiness  and  in  which  old  people  can  walk  in 
peace.  It  is  firm  in  the  day  of  life,  and  it  is 
absolutely  sure  in  the  hour  of  death.  It  never 
yields !  "  Thou  hast  set  my  feet  upon  a  rock  and 
hast  established  my  goings."  "  This  is  the  way, 
walk  ye  in  it." 


72 


MARCH  (Ike  TwelftK 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  LORD 

Luke  xvii.  22-32. 

N  a  certain  very  real  way  the  Lord  is 
coming  every  moment.  And  the 
great  art  of  Christian  living  is  to  be 
able  to  discern  Him  when  He  arrives. 
He  may  appear  as  the  village  car- 
penter ;  or  we  may  "  suppose  Him  to  be  one  of 
the  gardeners,"  and  we  may  mistake  His  ap- 
pearing! He  may  meet  us  in  some  lowly  duty, 
or  in  some  seemingly  unpleasant  task.  He  may 
shine  in  the  cheeriness  of  some  triumph,  or 
whisper  to  us  in  a  message  of  good  news.  "  I 
come  again."  And  if  our  eyes  are  open  we  shall 
see  Him  coming  continually.  It  is  by  this  per- 
ception that  the  value  of  our  life  is  measured  and 
weighed. 

But  He  will  also  come  again  "  suddenly," 
when  the  soul  will  be  translated  into  unknown 
climes.  He  will  come  again  in  the  sable  robes  of 
death.  Shall  we  know  Him?  Will  our  eyes  be 
so  keen  and  true  that  we  shall  be  able  to  pierce 
the  dark  veil  and  say  "  It  is  the  Lord !  "  This  has 
been  the  joyful  experience  of  countless  multi- 
tudes. When  the  summons  came  their  souls  went 
forth,  not  as  victims  to  encounter  death,  but  as 
the  bride  "  to  meet  the  bridegroom !  "  They  had 
intimacy  with  Him  in  life ;  they  had  glorious 
fellowship  with  Him  in  death ! 


MARCH    OKe    ThirteentK  73 


SICKNESS  AMONG  CHRIST'S  FRIENDS 
John  xi,  1-16. 
|ND  so  sickness  can  enter  the  circle  of 
the  friends  of  the  Lord.  "  He  whom 
Thou  lovest  is  sick."  My  sicknesses 
do  not  mean  that  I  h^e  lost  His 
favour.  The  shadow  is  His,  as  well 
as  the  sunshine.  When  He  removes  me  from  the 
glare  of  boisterous  health  it  may  be  because  of 
some  spiritual  fern  which  needs  the  ministry  of 
the  shade.  "  This  sickness  is  .  .  .  for  the 
glory  of  God."  Something  beautiful  will  spring 
out  of  the  shadowed  seclusion,  something  which 
shall  spread  abroad  the  name  and  fame  of  God. 
And,  therefore,  I  do  not  wonder  at  the  Lord's 
delay.  He  did  not  hasten  away  to  the  sick  friend : 
"  He  abode  two  days  still  in  the  same  place  where 
He  was."  Shall  I  put  it  like  this :  the  awaking 
bulbs  were  not  yet  ready  for  the  brighter  light — • 
just  a  little  more  shade!  We  are  impatient  to 
get  healthy ;  the  Lord  desires  that  we  become 
holy.  Our  physical  sickness  is  continued  in  order 
that  we  may  put  on  spiritual  strength. 

And  there  are  others  besides  sick  Lazarus 
concerned  in  the  sickness  :  "  I  am  glad  for  your 
sakes  I  was  not  there."  The  disciples  were  in- 
cluded in  the  divine  scheme.  Their  spiritual  wel- 
fare was  to  be  affected  by  it.  Let  me  ever  re- 
member that  the  circle  affected  by  sickness  is 
always  wider  than  the  patient's  bed.  And  may 
God  be  glorified  in  all ! 


74 


MARCH    niie    FourteentK 


"EVEN  NOW!" 
John  xi.  17-31. 
ET  me  consider  this  marvellous  con- 
fession of  Martha's  faith.  "  I,  know 
that  even  now,  whatsoever  Thou  wilt 
ask  of  God,  God  will  give  it  Thee !  " 
Mark  the  "  even  now  "  !  Lazarus 
was  dead,  and  it  was  midnight  in  the  desolate 
home.  But  "  even  now  " !  Beautiful  it  is  when 
a  soul's  most  awful  crises  are  the  seasons  of  its 
most  radiant  faith !  Beautiful  it  is  when  our 
lamp  shines  steadily  in  the  tempest,  and  when 
our  spiritual  confidence  remains  unshaken  like  a 
gloriously  rooted  tree.  Beautiful  it  is  when  in 
our  midnight  men  can  hear  the  strains  of  the 
"  even  now  "  ! 

And  let  me  consider  the  wonder  of  the  Divine 
response.  "  /  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life." 
A  faith  like  Martha's  will  always  win  the 
Saviour's  best.  And  here  is  an  overwhelming 
best  before  which  we  can  only  bow  in  silent 
homage  and  awe.  He  is  the  Fountain  in  whom 
the  stagnant  brook  shall  find  currency  again. 
He  is  the  Life  in  whom  the  fallen  dead  shall  rise 
to  their  feet  again. 

And  what  is  this  ?  "  Whosoever  liveth  and  be- 
lieveth  in  Me  shall  never  die!"  We  shall  go  to 
sleep,  but  we  shall  never  taste  the  bitterness  of 
death.  In  the  very  act  of  closing  our  material 
eyes  we  shall  open  our  spiritual  eyes,  and  find 
ourselves  at  home! 


MARCH 


JESUS  AT  A  GRAVE 

John  xi.  32-45. 

ERE  is  Jesus  weeping.  **  Jesus  wept." 
Why  did  He  weep?  Perhaps  He 
wept  out  of  sheer  sympathy  with  the 
tears  of  others.  And  perhaps,  too, 
He  wept  because  some  of  our  tears 
were  needless.  If  we  were  better  men  we  should 
know  more  of  the  love  and  purpose  of  our  Lord, 
and  perhaps  many  of  our  tears  would  be  dried. 
Still,  here  is  the  sweet  and  heartening  evangel. 
He  sympathizes  with  my  grief !  Never  a  bitter 
tear  is  shed  without  my  Lord  sharing  the  tang 
and  the  pang. 

Here  is  Jesus  praying !  "  Father,  I  thank  Thee 
that  Thou  hast  heard  Me."  Then  it  is  not  so 
much  a  prayer  as  a  thanksgiving.  He  gives 
thanks  for  what  He  is  "  about  to  receive."  Is  this 
my  way?  Perhaps  I  do  it  before  I  take  a  meal. 
Do  I  do  it  before  I  begin  to  live  the  day?  In  the 
morning  do  I  thank  my  God  for  what  I  am  about 
to  receive  ?  Can  I  confidently  give  thanks  before 
I  receive  the  gifts  of  God,  before  the  dish-covers 
are  removed?    Can  I  trust  Him? 

And  here  is  Jesus  commanding,  clothed  in 
sovereign  power :  "  Lazarus,  come  forth !  "' 
That  is  the  same  voice  which  "  in  the  beginning 
created  the  heavens  and  the  earth." 


76 


MARCH    OKe    Sixteenth 


THE  NEMESIS  OF  BIGOTRY, 
John  xi.  46-57- 
FEARFUL  nemesis  waits  upon  the 
spirit  of  bigotry.  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes  has  said  that  bigotry  is  like 
the  pupil  of  the  eye,  the  more  light 
you  pour  into  it  the  more  it  contracts. 
The  scribes  and  Pharisees  became  smaller  men 
the  more  the  Lord  revealed  His  glory.  In  the 
raising  of  Lazarus  they  saw  nothing  of  the  glory 
of  the  resurrection  life,  nothing  of  the  joy  of  the 
reunited  family,  nothing  of  the  gracious  ministry 
of  the  Lord  !  "  Darkness  had  blinded  their  eyes." 
And  it  is  also  the  nemesis  of  bigotry  to  be 
bitter,  cruel,  and  violent.  They  sought  to  kill 
the  Giver  of  life ! 

It  is  the  ministry  of  light  to  ripen  and  sweeten 
the  dispositions.  "  The  fruit  of  the  light  is  in 
all  goodness."  It  is  the  ministry  of  the  darkness 
to  make  men  sour  and  unsympathetic,  and  re- 
vengeful, and  to  so  pervert  the  heart  as  to  make 
it  a  minister  of  poison  and  death. 

And  yet,  how  powerless  is  bigotry  in  the  long 
run!  It  can  no  more  stay  the  progress  of  the 
Kingdom  than  King  Canute  could  check  the 
flowing  tide !  Bigotry  slew  the  Lord,  and  He 
rose  again !  And  so  it  ever  is.  "  Truth  crushed 
to  earth  shall  rise  again;  the  eternal  years  of 
God  are  hers." 


MARCH    niie    SeventeentK 


77 


THE  COMMONPLACE  OF  DEATH 
Luke  vii.  11-18. 

EATH  is  never  a  commonplace.  We 
never  become  so  accustomed  to 
funerals  as  not  to  see  them.  Every- 
body sees  the  mournful  procession 
go  along  the  street.  A  momentary 
awe  steals  over  the  flippant  thought,  and  for  one 
brief  season  the  superficial  opens  into  the  infinite 
abyss. 

And  yet,  v^hile  a  thousand  are  arrested,  only  a 
fev\^  are  compassionate.  There  can  be  awe  with- 
out pity ;  there  can  be  interest  without  service. 
When  this  humble  funeral  train  trudged  out  of 
the  city  of  Nain  our  Lord  halted,  and  His  heart 
melted !  There  was  an  "  aching  void,"  and  He 
longed  to  fill  it.  There  was  a  bleeding,  broken 
heart,  and  He  yearned  to  stand  and  heal  it.  He 
found  His  own  joy  in  removing  another's  tears, 
His  own  satisfaction  in  another's  peace. 

"The  Lord  hath  visited  His  people!"  That 
is  what  the  people  said,  and  I  do  not  wonder  at 
the  saying !  And  let  me,  too,  be  a  humble  visitor 
in  the  troubled  ways  of  men !  Let  my  heart  be 
a  well  of  sweet  compassion  to  all  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  grief!  Like  Barnabas,  let  me  be 
"  a  son  of  consolation." 


SERENITY  IN  THE  TEMPEST 

Job  xix.  23-27. 

ERHAPS  I  am  akin  to  Job  in  having 
experienced  the  pressure  of  calamity. 
I  have  felt  the  shock  of  adverse  cir- 
cumstances, and  the  house  of  my  life 
has  trembled  in  the  convulsion. 
Or  death  has  been  to  my  door  and  has  returned 
again  and  again,  and  every  time  he  has  left  me 
weeping !  All  God's  billows  have  gone  over  me ! 
Verily,  I  can  take  my  place  by  the  patriarch  Job. 
But  can  I  share  his  witness,  "/  know  that  my 
Redeemer  liveth '"  ?  Have  I  a  calm  assurance 
that  my  ruler  is  not  caprice,  and  that  my  comings 
and  goings  are  not  determined  by  unfeeling 
chance  ?  When  death  knocked  at  my  door,  did  I 
know  that  the  King  had  sent  him  ?  When  some 
cherished  scheme  toppled  into  ruin,  had  I  any 
thought  that  the  Lord's  hand  was  concerned  in 
the  shaking?  Even  when  my  circumstances  are 
dubious,  and  I  cannot  trace  a  gracious  purpose, 
do  I  know  that  my  Vindicator  liveth,  and  that 
some  day  He  will  justify  all  the  happenings  of 
the  troubled  road? 

I  will  pray  for  this  gracious  confidence.  I 
would  have  a  firm  step  even  among  disappoint- 
ments ;  yea,  I  would  "  sing  songs  in  the  night ! " 


MARCH    nixe    NineteentK 


79 


DEATH  AS  MY  SERVANT 
Revelation  xx.  i-6. 

VEN  now  I  would  rise  from  the  dead. 
Even  now  I  would  know  "  the  power 
of  His  resurrection."  Even  now  I 
would  taste  the  rapture  of  the  death- 
less life.  And  this  is  my  glorious 
prerogative  in  grace.  Yes,  even  now  I  can  be 
"  risen  with  Christ/'  and  "  death  shall  no  more 
have  dominion  over  me  !  " 

And  yet  I  must  die !  Yes,  but  the  old  enemy 
shall  now  be  my  friend.  He  will  not  be  my 
master,  but  my  servant.  He  shall  just  be  the 
porter,  to  open  the  door  into  my  Father's  house, 
into  the  home  of  unspeakable  blessedness  and 
glory.     Death  shall  not  hurt  me ! 

I  have  seen  a  little  child  fall  asleep  while  out 
in  the  streets  of  the  city,  and  the  kind  nurse 
has  taken  charge  of  the  sleeper,  and  when  the 
little  one  awaked  she  was  at  home,  and  she 
opened  her  eyes  upon  her  mother's  face. 

So  shall  it  be  with  all  who  are  alive  in  Christ, 
and  who  have  risen  from  a  spiritual  grave. 
They  shall  just  fall  into  a  brief  sweet  sleep,  and 
gentle  death  shall  usher  them  into  the  glory  of 
the  endless  day. 


8o 


MARCH    fTKe    TwentietK 


THE   LORD   IS  AT  HAND! 

"  Ye   know   not  what  hour  your  Lord   doth 
come." — Matthew  xxiv.  42-51. 

I  HEN  let  me  always  live  as  though 
my  Lord  were  at  the  gate !  Let  me 
arrange  my  affairs  on  the  assump- 
tion that  the  next  to  lift  the  latch  will 
be  the  King.  When  I  am  out  with 
my  friend,  walking  and  talking,  let  me  assume 
that  just  round  the  corner  I  may  meet  the  Lord. 
And  so  let  me  practise  meeting  Him !  Said  a 
mother  to  me  one  day  concerning  her  long- 
absent  boy :  "I  lay  a  place  for  him  at  every 
meal !  His  seat  is  always  ready !  "'  May  I  not 
do  this  for  my  Lord?  May  I  not  make  a  place 
for  Him  in  all  my  affairs — my  choices,  my 
pleasures,  my  times  of  business,  my  season  of 
rest?  He  may  come  just  now;  let  His  place  be 
]:eady ! 

If  He  delay,  I  must  not  become  careless.  If 
He  give  me  further  liberty,  I  must  not  take 
liberties  with  it.  Here  is  the  golden  principle, 
ever  to  live,  ever  to  think,  ever  to  work  as  though 
the  Lord  had  already  arrived.  For  indeed.  He 
has,  and  when  the  veil  is  rent  I  shall  find  Him 
at  my  side. 


MARCH    <He    Twenty-first 


IN    THE    GOLDEN    CITY 

Isaiah  lii.  1-12. 

ND  so  these  are  the  glories  of  the 
golden  city.  There  is  wakefulness. 
"  Awake  !  awake !  "  In  the  golden 
city  none  will  be  asleep.  Everybody 
will  be  bright-eyed,  clear-minded, 
looking  upon  all  beautiful  things  with  fresh  and 
ready  receptiveness.  "  The  eyes  of  them  that 
see  shall  not  be  dim." 

There  is  strength.  "  Put  on  thy  strength !  " 
There  will  be  no  broken  wills  in  the  golden  city, 
and  no  broken  hearts.  No  one  will  walk  with  a 
limp !  Everybody  will  go  with  a  brave  stride  as 
to  the  strains  of  a  band.  And  no  one  will  tire 
of  living,  and  the  inhabitant  never  says,  "I  am 
sick." 

And  there  is  beauty.  "  Put  on  thy  beautiful 
garments."  Bare  strength  might  not  be  attrac- 
tive. But  strength  clothed  in  beauty  is  a  very 
gracious  thing.  The  tender  mosses  on  the  granite 
make  it  winsome.  Strength  is  companionable 
when  it  is  united  with  grace.  In  the  golden  city 
there  will  be  tender  sentiment  as  well  as  rigid 
conviction. 

And  these  glories  will  be  our  defence.  A 
positive  virtue  is  our  best  rampart  against  vice. 
A  robust  health  is  the  best  protection  against  the 
epidemic.  "  The  prince  of  this  world  cometh, 
and  he  hath  nothing  in  me." 


82  MARCH    ^l^e    Twenty-second 


COUNSEL    AND    MIGHT 

Psalm  cxix.  33-40. 

HE  psalmist  prays  for  an  illumined 
understanding.  "  Teach  me,  O  Lord, 
the  way  of  Thy  statutes."  We  are 
so  prone  to  be  children  of  the 
twilight,  and  to  see  things  out  of 
their  true  proportions.  Therefore  do  we  need  to 
be  daily  taught.  I  must  go  into  the  school  of 
the  Lord,  and  in  docility  of  spirit  I  must  sit  at 
His  feet.  "  O,  teach  me.  Lord,  teach  even  me !  " 
And  the  psalmist  prays  for  rectified  inclina- 
tions. "  Incline  my  heart  unto  Thy  testimonies." 
We  so  often  have  the  wrong  bias,  the  fatal  taste, 
and  our  desires  are  all  against  the  will  of  the 
Lord.  If  only  my  leanings  were  toward  the  Lord 
how  swift  my  progress  would  be !  I  strive  to 
walk  after  holiness,  while  my  inclinations  are  in 
the  realm  of  sin.  And  so  I  need  a  clean  mouth, 
with  an  appetite  for  the  beautiful  and  the  true. 
"  Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  after  righteous- 
ness." 

And  the  psalmist  prays  for  a  stremious  will. 
"  Make  me  to  go  in  the  path  of  Thy  command- 
ments." He  is  praying  for  "  go,"  for  moral 
persistence,  for  power  to  crash  through  all  ob- 
stacles which  may  impede  his  heavenly  progress. 
And  such  is  my  need.  Good  Lord,  endow  me 
with  a  will  like  "  an  iron  pillar,"  and  help  me  to 
"  stand  in  the  evil  day." 


MARCH   Olie    Twenty-tKird 


83 


THE   DARK   BETRAYAL 

John  xviii.  1-14. 

UR  Master  was  betrayed  by  a  dis- 
ciple, "  one  of  the  twelve."  The  blow 
came  from  one  of  "  His  own  house- 
hold." The  world  employed  a 
"  friend  "  to  execute  its  dark  design. 
And  so  our  intimacy  with  Christ  may  be  our 
peril ;  our  very  association  may  be  made  our 
temptation.  The  devil  would  rather  gain  one 
belonging  to  the  inner  circle  than  a  thousand  who 
stand  confessed  as  the  friends  of  the  world. 
What  am  I  doing  in  the  kingdom?  Can  I  be 
trusted  ?    Or  am  I  in  the  pay  of  the  evil  one  ? 

And  our  Master  was  betrayed  in  the  garden 
of  prayer.  In  the  most  hallowed  place  the  be- 
trayer gave  the  most  unholy  kiss.  He  brought 
his  defilement  into  the  most  awe-inspiring  sanc- 
tuary the  world  has  ever  known.  And  so  may 
it  be  with  me.  I  can  kindle  the  unclean  fire  in 
the  church.  I  can  stab  my  Lord  when  I  am  on 
my  knees.  While  I  am  in  apparent  devotion  I 
can  be  in  league  with  the  powers  of  darkness. 

And  this  "  dark  betrayal  "  was  for  money !  The 
Lord  of  Glory  was  bartered  for  thirty  pieces 
of  silver !  And  the  difference  between  Judas  and 
many  men  is  that  they  often  sell  their  Lord  for 
less !  From  the  power  of  Mammon,  and  from 
the  blindness  which  falls  upon  his  victims,  good 
Lord,  deliver  me ! 


84 


MARCH    niie    Twenty-fourtK 


IN   GETHSEMANE 

Luke  xxii.  39-46, 

URELY  this  is  the  very  Holy  of 
HoHes !  It  were  well  for  us  to  fall 
on  our  knees  and  "  be  silent  unto  the 
Lord."  I  would  quietly  listen  to  the 
awful  words,  "  Remove  this  cup  from 
Me !  "  and  I  would  listen  again  and  again  until 
never  again  do  I  hold  a  cheap  religion.  It  is 
in  this  garden  that  we  learn  the  real  values  of 
things,  and  come  to  know  the  price  at  which  our 
redemption  was  bought.  No  one  can  remain 
in  Gethsemane  and  retain  a  frivolous  and  flippant 
spirit. 

"  And  there  appeared  unto  Him  an  angel  from 
heaven,  strengthening  Him."  I  know  that  angel ! 
He  has  been  to  me.  He  has  brought  me  angel's 
food,  even  heavenly  manna.  Always  and  every- 
where, when  my  soul  has  surrendered  itself  to 
the  Divine  will,  the  angel  comes,  and  my  soul 
is  refreshed.  The  laying  down  of  self  is  the 
taking  up  of  God.  When  I  lose  my  will  I  gain 
the  Infinite.  The  moment  of  surrender  is  also 
the  moment  of  conquest.  When  I  consecrate  my 
weakness  I  put  on  strength  and  majesty  like  a 
robe. 

"  And  when  He  rose  up  from  His  prayer  " — 
what  then?  Just  this,  He  was  quietly  ready  for 
anything,  ready  for  the  betraying  kiss,  ready  for 
crucifixion.    "  Arise,  let  us  be  going.  " 


MARCH    OKe    Twenty-fiftK 


85 


THE   FEAR   OF   MAN 

John  xviii.  15-27. 
ND  this  is  the  disciple  who  had  been 
surnamed  "  The  Rock  " !  Our  Lord 
looked  into  the  morrow,  and  He  saw 
Simon's  character,  compacted  by 
grace  and  discipline  into  a  texture 
tough  and  firm  as  granite.  But  there  is  not  much 
granite  here!  Peter  is  yet  loose  and  yielding; 
more  like  a  bending  reed  than  an  unshakable 
rock.  A  servant  girl  whispers,  and  his  timid 
heart  flings  a  lie  to  his  lips  and  he  denies  his 
Lord. 

Peter  denied  the  Master,  not  because  he 
coveted  money,  but  because  he  feared  men.  He 
was  not  seeking  crowns,  but  escaping  frowns.  He 
was  not  clutching  at  a  garland,  but  avoiding  a 
sword.  It  was  not  avarice  but  cowardice  which 
determined  his  ways.  He  shrank  from  cruci- 
fixion !  He  saw  a  possible  cross,  and  with  a 
great  lie  he  passed  by  on  the  other  side. 

But  the  Lord  has  not  done  with  Peter.  He 
is  still  "  in  the  making."  Some  day  he  will 
justify  his  new  name.  Some  day  we  shall  find  it 
written  :  "  When  they  saw  the  boldness  of  Peter, 
they  marvelled  " !  Once  a  maid  could  make  him 
tremble.  Now  he  can  stand  in  high  places, 
"  steadfast  and  unmovable  "  ! 

From  the  spirit  of  cowardice  and  from  all 
temporising,  and  from  the  unholy  fear  of  man, 
deliver  me,  good  Lord  ! 


86 


MARCH    ni\e    Twenty -sixth 


THE  KING  OF  KINGS 

John  xviii.  28-38. 
HAT  a  strange  King  our  Lord  ap- 
pears,  claiming   mystic   sovereignty, 
and  yet  betrayed  by  a  false  friend ! 

And  yet,  even  in  His  apparent 
subjection  His  majestic  kingliness 
stands  revealed.  When  I  v^atch  the  demeanours 
of  Pilate  and  Jesus,  I  can  see  very  clearly  who 
it  is  who  is  on  the  throne ;  Pilate  wears  the  outer 
trappings  of  royalty,  but  my  Lord's  is  "  the 
power  and  the  glory."  Pilate  fusses  about  in  a 
little  "  brief  authority,"  but  my  Lord  stands 
possessed  of  a  serene  dominion.  Even  at  Pilate's 
judgment  bar  Jesus  is  the  King. 

But  His  kingdom  is  "  not  of  this  world."  And 
therefore  this  King  is  unlike  every  other  King. 
He  seeks  His  possessions  not  by  fighting,  but  by 
"  lighting  " ;  not  by  coercion,  but  by  constraint. 
His  servants  do  not  go  forth  with  swords,  but 
with  lamps;  not  to  drive  the  peoples,  but  to  lead 
them.  His  visible  throne  is  a  cross,  and  His 
conquests  are  made  i*  the  power  of  sacrifice. 

And  so  His  armaments  are  the  Truth,  and  the 
Truth  alone.  "  For  this  cause  came  I  into  the 
world,  that  I  should  hear  witness  unto  the  Truth." 
When  the  Truth  wins  and  wooes,  the  triumph  is 
lasting.  Garlands  won  by  the  sword  perish  be- 
fore the  evening.  To  be  one  of  the  King's  sub- 
jects is  to  share  His  nature.  "  Everyone  that  is 
of  the  truth  heareth  My  voice." 


THE  SILENCE   OF  JESUS 
He  answered  him  nothing!  " — Luke  xxiii.  1-12. 

ND  yet,  "  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given 
you  !  "  Yes,  but  everything  depends 
upon  the  asking.  Even  in  the  realm 
of  music  there  is  a  rudeness  of  ap- 
proach w^hich  leaves  true  music  si- 
lent. Whether  the  genius  of  music  is  to  ansv^er 
us  or  not  depends  upon  our  "  touch."  Herod's 
"  touch  "  vjdis,  v^rong,  and  there  was  no  response. 
Herod  was  flippant,  and  the  Eternal  was  dumb. 
And  I,  too,  may  question  a  silent  Lord.  In  the 
spiritual  realm  an  idle  curiosity  is  never  permitted 
to  see  the  crown  jewels.  Frivolousness  never 
goes  away  from  the  royal  Presence  rich  with  sur- 
prises of  grace.  "  Thy  touch  has  still  its  ancient 
power!  "  So  it  has,  but  the  healing  touch  is  the 
gracious  response  to  the  touch  of  faith.  "  She 
touched  Him,  and  .   .   .    !  " 

"  And  Herod  .  .  .  mocked  Him."  That 
was  the  real  spirit  behind  the  eager  curiosity. 
And  I,  too,  may  mock  my  Lord !  I  may  bow 
before  Him,  and  array  Him  in  apparent  royalty, 
while  all  the  time  my  spirit  is  full  of  flippancy 
and  jeers.  I  may  lustily  sing:  ''Crown  Him 
Lord  of  all,"  while  I  will  not  recognize  His 
rights  on  a  single  square  foot  of  the  soil  of  my 
inheritance.  And  this  it  is  to  be  the  kinsman  of 
Herod.  And  this,  too,  will  be  the  issue ;  the 
heavens  will  be  as  brass,  and  the  Lord  will 
answer  us  nothing. 


88 


MARCH    ^IKe    Twenty-eigKtK 


THE  CHOICE  OF  BARABBAS 

Luke  xxiii.  13-24. 

ARABBAS  rather  than  Christ !  The 
destroyer  of  life  rather  than  the 
Giver  of  life !  This  was  the  choice 
of  the  people ;  and  it  is  a  choice  which 
has  often  stained  and  defiled  my  own 
life. 

When  I  choose  revenge  rather  than  forgive- 
ness, I  am  preferring  Barabbas  to  Christ.  For 
revenge  is  a  murderer,  while  forgiveness  is  a 
healer  and  saviour  of  men.  But  how  often  I 
have  sent  the  sweet  healer  to  the  cross,  and 
welcomed  the  murderer  within  my  gate ! 

When  I  choose  carnal  passion  before  holiness, 
I  am  preferring  Barabbas  to  Christ.  For  is  there 
any  murderer  so  destructive  as  carnality?  And 
holiness  stands  waiting,  ready  to  make  me  beau- 
tiful with  the  wondrous  garments  of  grace.  But 
I  spurn  the  angel,  and  open  my  door  to  the 
beast. 

The  devil  is  always  soliciting  my  service,  and 
the  devil  "  is  a  murderer  from  the  beginning." 
Have  I  never  preferred  him,  and  sent  my  Lord  to 
be  "  crucified  afresh,"  and  "  put  Him  to  an  open 
shame  "? 

Again  let  me  pray — for  all  my  unholy  and  un- 
wholesome choices,  for  all  my  preference  of  the 
murderer,  forgive  me,  good  Lord ! 


MARCH   ni\e    Twenty-nintK 


89 


MYSTIC  ALARM-BELLS       ■ 

Matthew  xxvii.  19-25. 

ILATE  was  warned.  Pilate's  wife 
had  a  dream,  and  in  the  dream  she 
had  glimpses  of  reality,  and  when 
she  awoke  her  soul  was  troubled. 
"  Have  thou  nothing  to  do  with  that 
just  man !  " 

And  I,  too,  have  mysterious  warnings  when  I 
am  treading  perilous  ways.  Sometimes  the 
warning  comes  from  a  friend.  Sometimes  "  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  stands  in  the  way  for  an  adver- 
sary." My  conscience  rings  loudly  like  an  alarm- 
bell  in  the  dead  of  night.  Yes,  the  warnings  are 
clear  and  pertinent,  but  .  .  ,   ! 

Pilate  ignored  the  warning,  and  handed  the 
Lord  to  the  revengeful  will  of  the  priests.  Pilate 
defiled  his  heart,  and  then  he  washed  his  hands ! 
What  a  petty  attempt  to  escape  the  certain  issues  ! 
And  yet  we  have  shared  in  the  small  evasion. 
We  have  crucified  the  Lord,  and  then  we  wear  a 
crucifix.  We  violate  the  spirit,  and  then  we  do 
reverence  to  the  letter.  We  hand  the  Lord  over 
to  be  crucified,  and  then  we  practise  the  postures 
and  gait  of  the  saints.  Yes,  we  have  all  sought  an 
escape  in  outer  ceremony  from  the  nemesis  of 
our  shameful  deeds. 

My  soul,  attend  thou  to  the  mystic  warnings, 
and  "  play  the  man  " ! 


90 


MARCH    OKe    Thirtieth 


THE    VICTORY    OF    MEEKNESS 

I  Peter  ii.  17-25. 

HEN  I  may  be  not  only  the  betrayer, 
but  the  betrayed.  In  my  inner  circle 
there  may  be  a  friend  who  will  play 
me  false,  and  hand  me  over  to  the 
wolves.  What  then?  Just  this — 
I  must  imitate  the  grace  of  my  Lord,  and  "  con- 
sider Him." 

There  must  be  no  violent  retaliation.  "  When 
He  was  reviled,  He  reviled  not  again."  The  fire 
of  revenge  may  singe  or  even  scorch  my  enemy, 
but  it  will  do  far  more  damage  to  the  furniture 
of  my  own  soul.  After  every  indulgence  in 
vengeful  passion  some  precious  personal  posses- 
sion has  been  destroyed.  The  fact  of  the  matter 
is,  this  fire  cannot  be  kept  burning  without 
making  fuel  of  the  priceless  furnishings  of  the 
soul.  "  Heat  not  a  furnace  for  your  foe  so  hot 
that  it  do  singe  yourself." 

There  must  be  a  serene  committal  of  the  soul 
to  the  strong  keeping  of  the  Eternal  God.  "  He 
committed  Himself  to  Him  that  judgeth  right- 
eously." This  is  the  way  of  peace,  as  this  is  the 
way  of  victory.  If  ever  the  enemy  is  to  be 
conquered  this  must  be  the  mode  of  the  conquest. 
When  men  persecute  us,  let  us  rest  more  im- 
plicitly in  our  God. 


MARCH    nite    TKirty-first 


91 


AT  THE  CROSS! 

Matthew  xxvii.  38-50. 

ET  me  listen  to  the  ribald  jeers  which 
were  flung  upon  my  Lord.  And  let 
me  listen,  not  as  a  judge,  but  as  one 
who  has  been  in  the  company  of  the 
callous  crowd.  For  I,  too.  have 
mocked  Him !  I  have  said  :  "  Hail,  King !  "  and 
I  have  bowed  before  Him,  but  it  has  been  mock 
and  empty  homage  !  I  have  sung :  "  Crown  Him 
Lord  of  all !  "  but  there  has  been  no  real  recogni- 
tion of  His  sovereignty ;  mine  has  been  a  mock 
coronation.  From  the  seat  of  the  mocker,  de- 
liver me,  good  Lord ! 

And  let  me  stand  near  the  cross  while  that 
awful  voice  of  desolation  rends  the  heavens.  "  My 
God,  My  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  Me?  "  In 
that  agonizing  cry  I  am  led  to  the  real  heart  of 
the  atonement.  My  Saviour  was  standing  where 
His  believers  will  never  stand.  That  was  the 
real  death,  the  death  of  an  inconceivable  abandon- 
ment. And  "  He  died  for  me !  "  He  so  died  in 
order  that  I  may  never  taste  death.  "  He  that 
liveth  and  believeth  in  Me  shall  never  die." 

Every  believer  will  go  to  sleep,  and  through 
a  short  sleep  he  will  wake  in  the  glory  of  the 
Eternal  Presence.  But  he  will  never  die:  no, 
never  die ! 


APRIL    OKe    First 


THE  SHADOW  OF  THE  CROSS 
Luke  xxiii.  33-47. 

OOK  at  our  Lord  in  relation  to  His 
foes.  "  Father,  forgive  them;  for 
they  know  not  what  they  do!  "  Their 
bitterness  has  not  embittered  Him. 
The  "  milk  of  human  kindness  "  was 
still  sweet.  Nothing  could  sour  our  Lord,  and 
convert  His  goodwill  into  malice,  His  serene 
beneficence  into  wild  revenge.  And  how  is  it 
with  me  ?  Are  my  foes  able  to  maim  my  spirit  as 
well  as  my  body  ?  Do  they  win  their  end  by  mak- 
ing me  a  smaller  man?  Or  am  I  magnanimous 
even  on  the  cross? 

And  look  at  our  Lord  in  relation  to  the  peni- 
tent thief.  "  To-day  shalt  thoti  be  with  Me  in 
Paradise."  There  was  no  self-centredness  in 
our  Saviour's  grief.  He  was  the  good  Physician, 
even  when  His  body  was  mangled  on  the  cross. 
He  healed  a  broken  heart  even  in  the  very  pangs 
of  death.  When  "  there  was  darkness  over  all 
the  earth,"  He  let  the  light  of  the  morning  into 
the  heart  of  a  desolate  thief.  And,  good  Lord, 
graciously  help  me  to  do  likewise ! 

And  all  this  amazing  graciousness  is  explained 
in  our  Lord's  relation  to  His  Father.  "  Father, 
into  Thy  hands  I  commend  My  spirit!"  Yes, 
everything  is  there !  When  I  and  My  Father  are 
one,  my  spirit  will  remain  sweet  as  the  violet 
and  pure  as  the  dew. 


APRIL  OKe 


"  ON    HIM! 

"  The  Lord  hath  laid  on  Him  the  iniquity  of  us 
all." — Isaiah    liii. 

ET  me  tell  a  dream  which  was  given 
by  night  to  one  of  my  dearest  friends. 
He  beheld  a  stupendous  range  of 
glorious  sun-lit  mountains,  with  their 
lower  slopes  enfolded  in  white  mist. 
"  Lord,"  he  cried,  "  I  pray  that  I  may  dwell  upon 
those  heights  !  "  "  Thou  must  first  descend  into 
the  vale,"  a  voice  replied. 

Into  the  vale  he  went.  And  down  there  he 
found  himself  surrounded  with  all  manner  of 
fierce,  ugly,  loathsome  things.  As  he  looked  upon 
them  he  saw  that  they  were  the  incarnations  of 
his  own  sins !  There  they  were,  sins  long  ago 
committed,  showing  their  threatening  teeth  be- 
fore him ! 

Then  he  heard  some  One  approaching,  and 
instinctively  he  knew  it  was  the  Lord !  And  he 
felt  so  ashamed  that  he  drew  a  cloak  over  his 
face,  and  stood  in  silence.  And  the  Presence 
came  nearer  and  nearer,  until  He,  too,  stood 
silent.  After  a  while  my  friend  mastered  sufifi- 
cient  courage  to  lift  the  corner  of  his  cloak  and 
look  out  upon  the  Presence  :  and  lo  !  all  the  loath- 
some things  were  on  Him ! 

"  The  Lord  had  laid  on  Him  the  iniquity  of 
us  all." 


APRIL    ^Ike    TKird 


THE    STONE    ROLLED    AWAY 
Mark  xvi.  i-8. 


AM  always  wondering  who  will  roll 
away  the  stone !  There  is  a  great 
obstacle  in  the  way,  and  my  frailty 
is  incompetent  to  its  removal.  And 
lo !  when  I  arrive  at  the  place  I  find 
that  the  angel  has  been  before  me,  and  the  ob- 
stacle is  gone !  And  1  would  that  I  might  learn 
wisdom  to-day  from  the  miracle  of  yesterday.  Let 
me  not  be  confounded  about  a  new  stone  when 
I  know  that  my  fears  about  the  old  one  had  no 
foundation. 

And  then  the  young  man  at  the  sepulchre ! 
He  is  a  type  of  eternal  youth,  and  he  is  sitting 
serenely  in  a  routed  grave.  He  represents  the  un- 
withering  in  the  very  home  of  corruption.  And 
this,  too,  is  my  hope !  It  is  mine  in  Christ  to  put 
on  incorruption,  and  through  a  brief  sleep  to  be- 
come clothed  with  immortal  youth.  "  There 
everlasting  spring  abides,  and  never  withering 
flowers !  " 

And  I  may  have  the  assurance  of  the  coming 
glory  even  now.  Even  now  may  I  taste  the 
heavenly  feast,  and  wear  some  of  the  unfading 
flowers  of  the  glorified.  Yes,  even  now  my  leaf 
need  not  wither,  and  my  hopes  may  remain  un- 
shaken through  all  my  troubled  years. 


APRIL  ni^e 


THE  RESURRECTION  MORNING 

Matthew  xxviii.  1-15. 

ET  me  reverently  mark  the  happen- 
ings of  this  most  wonderful  morn. 
"It  began  to  dawn."  Yes,  that 
was  the  first  significance  of  the  resur- 
rection. It  was  a  new  day  for  the 
world.  Everything  was  to  be  seen  in  a  new  light. 
Everything  was  to  wear  a  new  face — God,  and 
heaven,  and  life,  and  duty,  and  death !  "  All 
things  are  become   new." 

"  And  there  was  a  great  earthquake."  Yes, 
and  this  was  significant  of  the  tremendous  up- 
heaval implied  in  the  resurrection.  The  kingdom 
of  the  devil  was  upheaved  from  its  foundations. 
All  the  boasted  pomp  of  his  showy  empire  was 
turned  upside  down.  "  I  beheld  Satan  falling !  " 
"  And  the  angel  rolled  away  the  stone."  And 
that,  too,  is  significant  of  the  resurrection.  The 
awful  barrier  was  rolled  away,  and  the  grave 
became  a  thoroughfare !  "  This  is  the  Lord's 
doing ;  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes.'' 

And  there  was  "  fear  and  great  joy."     And 
mingled  awe  and  gladness,  a  reverential  delight. 


His 


THE  EMPTY  TOMB 

Luke  xxiv.  1-12. 

HAT  empty  tomb  means  the  conquest 

of     death.      The     Captive     proved 

mightier     than     the     captor.        He 

Ij  emerged  from  the  prison  as  the  Lord 

of   the   prison,   and  death   reeled   at 

going.     In  the  risen  Saviour  death  is  de- 


throned ;  he  takes  his  place  at  the  footstool  to 
do  the  bidding  of  his  sovereign  Lord  and  King. 
And  that  empty  tomb  means  the  conquest  of 
sin.  Sin  had  done  its  worst,  and  had  failed.  All 
the  forces  of  hell  had  been  rallied  against  the 
Lord,  and  above  them  all  He  rose  triumphant 
and  glorified.  A  little  while  ago  I  discovered 
a  spring.  I  tried  to  choke  it.  I  heaped  sand  and 
gravel  upon  it ;  I  piled  stones  above  it !  And 
through  them  all  it  emerged,  noiselessly  and  ir- 
resistibly, a  radiant  resurrection ! 

And  so  the  empty  tomb  becomes  the  symbol  of 
a  thoroughfare  between  life  in  time  and  life  in  the 
unshadowed  Presence  of  our  God.  Death  is  now 
like  a  short  tunnel  which  is  near  my  home ;  I 
can  look  through  it  and  see  the  other  side !  In 
the  risen  Lord  death  becomes  transparent.  "  O 
death,  where  is  thy  sting?  O  grave,  where  is  thy 
victory  ?  " 


APRIL    ^e 


FIRST-HAND  KNOWLEDGE  OF  CHRIST 

"Last  of  all  He  was  seen  of  me  also." — i 
Corinthians  xv.  i-ii. 

ND  by  that  vision  Saul  of  Tarsus  was 
transformed.  And  so,  by  the  minis- 
try of  a  risen  Lord  we  have  received 
the  gift  of  a  transfigured  Paul.  The 
resurrection  glory  fell  upon  him,  and 
he  was  glorified.  In  that  superlative  light  he  dis- 
covered his  sin,  his  error,  his  need,  but  he  also 
found  the  dynamic  of  the  immortal  hope. 

"  Seen  of  me  also !  "  Can  I,  too,  calmly  and 
confidently  claim  the  experience  ?  Or  am  I  alto- 
gether depending  upon  another  man's  sight,  and 
are  my  own  eyes  unillumined?  In  these  realms 
the  witness  of  "  hear-says  "  counts  for  nothing; 
he  only  speaks  with  arresting  power  who  has 
"  seen  for  himself."  "  Sayest  thou  this  thing  of 
thyself,  or  did  others  tell  it  thee  of  Me?  "  That 
is  the  question  which  is  asked,  not  only  by  the 
Master,  but  by  all  who  hear  us  tell  the  story  of 
the  risen  Lord.  "  Has  He  been  seen  of  thee 
also?  " 

My  Saviour,  I  humbly  pray  Thee  to  give  me 
first-hand  knowledge  of  Thee.  Let  me  be  a  wit- 
ness who  can  say,  "  I  know  that  my  Redeemer 
liveth !  "  Before  all  the  doubts  and  hesitancies 
of  man  enable  me  to  answer,  "  Have  I  not  seen 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  ?  " 


qS 


APRIL    niie    SeventK 


IF  CHRIST  WERE  DEAD! 
I  Corinthians  xv.  12-26. 


F  Christ  he  not  risen!"  That  is  the 
most  appalling  "  if  "  which  can  be 
flung  into  the  human  mind.  If  it 
obtains  lodging  and  entertainment, 
all  the  fairest  hopes  of  the  soul  wither 
away  like  tender  buds  which  have  been  nipped  by 
sharp  frost !    See  how  they  fade  ! 

"  Your  faith  is  vain."  It  has  no  more  strength 
and  permanency  than  Jonah's  gourd.  Nay,  it 
has  really  never  been  a  living  thing !  It  has  been 
a  pathetic  delusion,  beautiful,  but  empty  as  a  bub- 
ble, and  collapsing  at  Joseph's  tomb. 

"  Ye  are  yet  in  your  sins."  The  hope  of  for- 
giveness and  reconciliation  is  stricken,  and  there 
is  nothing  left  but  "  a  certain  fearful  looking-for 
of  judgment."  Nemesis  has  only  been  hiding  be- 
hind a  screen  of  decorated  falsehoods,  and  she 
will  pursue  us  to  the  bitter  end. 

"  We  are  of  all  men  the  most  miserable."  Joy 
would  fall  and  die  like  a  fatally  wounded  lark. 
The  song  would  cease  from  our  souls.  The  holy 
place  would  become  a  tomb. 

"  But  now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead ! " 
Yes,  let  me  finish  on  that  word.  That  gives  me 
morning,  and  melody,  and  holy  merriment  that 
knows  no  end. 


APRIL  niie   EigKtK 


99 


MY  INHERITANCE  IN  THE  RISEN  LORD 

I  Peter  i.  1-9. 

N  my  risen  Lord  I  am  born  into  "  a 
living  hope,"  a  hope  not  only  vital, 
but  vitalizing,  sending  its  mystic, 
vivifying  influences  through  every 
highway  and  by-way  of  my  soul. 

In  my  risen  Lord  mine  is  "  an  inheritance  in- 
corruptible." It  is  not  exposed  to  the  gnawing 
tooth  of  time.  Moth  and  rust  can  not  impair 
the  treasure.  It  will  not  grow  less  as  I  grow 
old.     Its  glories  are  as  invulnerable  as  my  Lord. 

In  my  risen  Lord  mine  is  "  an  inheritance 
.  .  .  iinde filed."  There  is  no  alloy  in  the  fine 
gold.  The  King  will  give  me  of  His  best. 
"  Bring  forth  the  best  robe,  and  put  it  on  him." 
The  holiest  ideal  proclaims  my  possibility,  and 
foretells  my  ultimate  attainment.  Heaven's  wine 
is  not  to  be  mixed  with  water.  I  am  to  awake 
"  in  His  likeness." 

And  mine  is  "  an  inheritance  .  .  .  that  fadeth 
not  away."  It  shall  not  be  as  the  garlands  offered 
by  men — green  to-day  and  to-morrow  sere  and 
yellow.  "  Its  leaf  also  shall  not  wither."  It  shall 
always  retain  its  freshness,  and  shall  offer  me  a 
continually  fresh  delight.  And  these  are  all 
mine  in  Him! 


"Thou,  O  Christ,  art  all  I  want." 


lOO 


m 


APRIL    niie    Ninth, 


THE  EVER-LIVING  LORD 
Revelation  i.  9-18. 
ET  me  take  the  simple  words,  and 
quietly  gaze  into  the  wonderful 
depths  of  their  fathomless  simplicity. 
An  old  villager  used  to  tell  me  it 
would  strengthen  my  eyes  if  I  looked 
long  into  deep  wells.  And  it  will  assuredly 
strengthen  the  eyes  of  my  soul  to  gaze  into  wells 
like  these. 

"  /  am  He  that  liveth."  What  a  marvellous 
transformation  it  worked  upon  Dr.  Dale,  when 
one  day,  in  his  study,  it  flashed  upon  him,  as  never 
before,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  alive !  "  Christ  is 
alive !  "  he  repeated  again  and  again,  until  the 
clarion  music  filled  all  the  rooms  in  his  soul. 
"  Christ  is  alive  !  " 

"  And  was  dead."  Yes,  the  Lord  has  gone 
right  through  that  dark  place.  There  are  foot- 
prints, and  they  are  the  footprints  of  the  Con- 
queror, all  along  the  road.  "  Christ  leads  me 
through  no  darker  room  than  He  went  through 
before." 

"  And,  behold,  I  am  alive  for  ever  more." 
"  Jesus  has  conquered  death  and  all  its  powers." 
Never  more  will  it  sit  on  a  transient  throne.  Its 
power  is  broken,  its  "  sting  "  has  lost  its  poison, 
there  isn't  a  boast  left  in  its  apparently  omnivor- 
ous mouth !  "  Where's  thy  victory,  O  grave  ?  " 
And  here  is  the  gospel  for  me — "  Because  I  live 
ye  shall  live  also." 


APRIL   m^e    TentK 


lOI 


RESURRECTION-LIGHT 

believe    that    Jesus    died    and    rose 
" — I  Thessalonians  iv.  13-18. 

HAT  is  the  eastern  light  which  fills 
the  valley  of  time  with  wonderful 
beams  of  glory.  It  is  the  great  dawn 
in  which  we  find  the  promise  of  our 
own  day.  Everything  wears  a  new 
face  in  the  light  of  our  Lord's  resurrection.  I 
once  watched  the  dawn  on  the  East  Coast  of 
England.  Before  there  was  a  grey  streak  in  the 
sky  everything  was  held  in  grimmest  gloom.  The 
toil  of  the  two  fishing-boats  seemed  very  sombre. 
The  sleeping  houses  on  the  shore  looked  the 
abodes  of  death.  Then  came  grey  light,  and 
then  the  sun,  and  everything  was  transfigured ! 
Every  window  in  every  cottage  caught  the  re- 
flected glory,  and  the  fishing-boats  glittered  in 
morning  radiance. 

And  everything  is  transfigured  in  the  Risen 
Christ.  Everything  is  lit  up  when  "  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  arises  with  healing  in  His  wings." 
Life  is  lit  up,  and  so  is  death,  and  so  are  sorrow 
and  daily  labour  and  human  friendships  !  Every- 
thing catches  the  gleam  and  is  changed.  "  We 
are  no  longer  of  the  night,  but-  of  the  day." 
"  Walk  as  children  of  light."  "  Awake,  thou  that 
sleepest,  arise  from  the  dead,  and  Christ  shall 
shine  upon  thee." 


102 


APRIL    nite    EleventK 


THROUGH  DEATH  TO  LIFE 
Romans  v.  i-ii. 


HE  Lord  went  through  death  to  make 
a  path  to  life.  He  descended  into 
shame  and  suffering,  and  appalHng 
l^^ll^^l    desolation   in   order   that   He   might 

-^— "  open   the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  to 

all  believers."    And  the  way  is  now  open ! 

Therefore,  "  let  us  have  peace  with  God."  Let 
us  reverently  and  willingly  tread  the  heavenly 
road,  and  seek  the  King's  presence,  and  grate- 
fully accept  "  the  everlasting  covenant."  Let  us 
go,  as  once  rebel  soldiers,  and  let  us  surrender 
our  arms,  and  at  His  bidding  take  them  again,  to 
fight  in  His  service. 

And  let  us  "  glory  in  tribulation."  If  we  are 
in  the  King's  road,  at  peace  with  the  King,  every 
stormy  circumstance  will  be  made  to  do  us  serv- 
ice. Yes,  all  our  troubles  will  be  compelled  to 
minister  to  us,  to  robe  us,  and  to  adorn  us,  and 
to  make  us  more  like  the  sons  and  daughters 
of  a  royal  house.  "  Out  of  the  eater  will  come 
forth  meat,  and  out  of  the  strong  will  come  forth 
sweetness." 

And,  therefore,  let  us  "  joy  in  God."  Don't 
let  us  be  "  the  King's  own,"  and  yet  march  in  the 
sulks !  Let  us  march  to  the  music  of  grateful 
song  and  praise. 


"  Children  of  the  heavenly  King, 
As  ye  journey,  sweetly  sing." 


APRIL    ^Ike    TwelftK 


103 


THE   LAMB    ON    THE   THRONE 

"In  the  midst  of  the  throne  stood  a  Lamb  as 
it  had  been  slain!" — Revelation  v.  6-14. 

OW  strange  and  unexpected  is  the 
figure !  A  lamb — the  supreme  type 
of  gentleness !  A  throne,  the  su- 
preme symbol  of  power !  And  the 
one  is  in  the  very  midst  of  the 
other.  The  sacrificial  has  become  the  sov- 
ereign :  the  Cross  is  the  principal  part  of  the 
throne.  "  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men 
unto  Me." 

Yes,  this  sovereign  sacrificial  Lord  is  to  re- 
ceive universal  homage  and  worship.  "  Every 
creature  which  is  in  heaven  and  on  the  earth  "  is 
to  pay  tribute  at  His  feet.  And  this,  not  by  a 
terrible  coercion,  but  by  a  gracious  constraint. 
We  are  not  to  be  driven,  we  are  to  be  drawn ;  we 
are  to  move  by  love — compulsion :  the  Lamb  in 
God  is  to  win  the  wills  of  men. 

And  I,  too,  may  take  my  harp  and  make 
melodious  praise  before  my  King.  And  I,  too, 
may  fill  the  "  golden  vials  "  with  my  grateful  in- 
tercession, and  heaven  shall  be  the  sweeter  for 
the  odour  of  my  prayers.  And  I,  too,  may  sound 
my  loud  "  Amen,"  the  note  of  gladsome  resigna- 
tion to  the  sovereign  will  of  God.  Yes,  even 
now  I  may  be  one  of  "  the  multitude  whom  no 
man  can  number,"  who,  in  a  new  song,  ascribe 
all  worthiness  to  "  the  Lamb  that  was  slain." 


164 


APRIL    niie    TKirteentK 


PURE  GOLD 

"  Thou  shalt  overlay  it  with  pure  gold.  .  .  . 
And  there  I  will  meet  with  thee." — Exodus  xxv. 
10-22. 

MUST  put  my  best  into  my  prepara- 
tions, and  then  the  Lord  will  honour 
my  work.  My  part  is  to  be  of  "  pure 
gold  "  if  my  God  is  to  dwell  within 
it.  I  must  not  satisfy  myself  with 
cheap  flimsy  and  then  assume  that  the  Lord 
will  be  satisfied  with  it.  He  demands  my  very 
best  as  a  condition  of  His  enriching  Presence. 

My  prayers  must  be  of  "  pure  gold  "  if  He 
is  to  meet  me  there.  There  must  be  nothing  vul- 
gar about  them,  nothing  shoddy,  nothing  hastily 
constructed,  nothing  thrown  up  anyhow.  They 
must  be  chaste  and  sincere,  and  overlaid  with 
pure   gold. 

My  home  must  be  of  "  pure  gold  "  if  He  is 
to  meet  me  there.  No  unclean  passion  must 
dwell  there,  no  carnal  appetite,  no  defiling  con- 
versation, no  immoderateness  in  eating  and  drink- 
ing. How  can  the  Lord  sit  down  at  such  a  table, 
or  make  One  at  such  a  fireside? 

Let  me  present  to  Him  pure  gold.  Let  me 
offer  Him  nothing  cheap.  Let  me  ever  make  the 
ark  of  my  best,  and  the  Lord  will  meet  me  there. 


APRIL  niie    Fourteenth 


105 


RELIGION  AS  MERE  MAGIC 

"And  when  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the 
Lord  came  into  the  camp,  all  Israel  shouted  with 
a  great  shout." — i  Samuel  iv.  i-ii. 

I  HEY  were  making  more  of  the  ark 
than  of  the  Lord.  Their  religion 
was  degenerating  into  superstition. 
I  become  superstitious  whenever  the 
means  of  worship  are  permitted  to 
eclipse  the  Object  of  worship.  I  then  possess 
a  magic  instrument,  and  I  forget  the  holy  Lord. 
It  can  be  so  with  prayer.  I  may  use  prayer 
as  a  magic  minister  to  protect  me  from  invasive 
ills.  I  do  not  pray  because  I  desire  fellowship 
with  the  Father,  but  because  I  should  not  feel 
safe  without  it.  The  ark  is  more  than  the  Lord. 
It  can  be  so  with  a  crucifix.  A  crucifix  may 
become  a  mere  talisman,  and  so  supplant  the 
Lord.  I  may  wear  the  thing  and  have  no  fellow- 
ship with  the  Person.  And  so  may  it  be  with  the 
Lord's  Supper.  I  may  come  to  regard  it  as  a 
magic  feast,  which  makes  me  immune  from  pun- 
ishment, but  not  immune  from  sin.  It  may  be  a 
minister  of  safety,  but  not  of  holiness. 

So  let  mine  eyes  be  ever  unto  the  Lord! 
Let  me  not  be  satisfied  with  the  ark,  but  let  me 
seek  Him  whose  name  is  holy  and  whose  nature 
is  love. 


io6 


APRIL  OKe    FifteentK 


DEGRADING  HOLY  THINGS 

I    Samuel  vi.    1-15. 

MUST  remember  that  a  holy  thing 
can  be  the  minister  of  a  plague. 
Things  that  were  purposed  to  be 
benedictions  can  be  changed  into 
blights.  The  very  ark  of  God  must 
be  in  its  appointed  place  or  it  becomes  the  means 
of  sickness  and  destruction.  So  it  is  with  all  the 
holy  things  of  God :  if  I  dethrone  them  they  will 
uncrown  me. 

It  is  even  so  with  music.  Unless  I  give  it  its 
holy  sovereignty  it  will  become  a  minister  of 
the  passions,  and  the  angel  within  me  is  mastered 
by  a  beast.  Let  me  read  again  Tennyson's 
"  Palace  of  Sin,"  and  let  me  heedfully  note  how 
music  becomes  the  instrument  of  ignoble  sen- 
sationalism, and  aids  in  man's  degradation. 
"  But  exalt  her,  and  she  shall  exalt  thee." 

It  is  even  so  with  art.  It  is  purposed  to  be 
the  holy  dwelling-place  of  God,  but  I  can  so  abuse 
it  as  to  make  it  the  agent  of  degradation.  In- 
stead of  hallowing  the  life  it  will  debase  and  im- 
poverish it. 

I  will  therefore  remember  that,  if  I  infringe 
the  Divine  order,  I  can  turn  the  sacramental  cup 
into  a  vehicle  of  moral  poison  and  spiritual  blight. 
"  They  must  be  holy  who  bear  the  vessels  of 
the  Lord." 


APRIL    OKe    SixteentK 


107 


PRIESTS  OF  THE  LORD 

"None  ought  to  carry  the  ark  of  God  but  the 
Lez'ites." — i    Chronicles   xv.    1-3,    11-15. 

HERE  are  prepared  people  for  pre- 
pared offices.  The  Lord  will  fit  the 
man  to  the  function,  the  anointed 
and  consecrated  priest  for  the  con- 
secrated  and   consecrating  ministry. 

But  now,  in  the  larger  purpose  of  the  Lord, 
and  in  "  the  exceeding  riches  of  His  grace," 
everybody  may  be  a  priest  of  the  Lord.  "  He 
hath  made  us  to  be  priests  and  kings  unto  God." 
And  He  will  prepare  us  to  carry  our  ark,  and 
to  "  minister  in  holy  things." 

I  can  be  His  priest  in  the  home.  He  will 
anoint  me  as  one  who  is  to  engage  in  holy  min- 
istries, and  I  shall  be  serving  at  the  altar  even 
while  engaged  in  the  lowly  duties  of  the  house. 
The  humble  meal  will  be  sacramental,  and  com- 
mon work  will  be  heavenly  sacrifice. 

I  can  be  His  priest  in  my  class.  The  Lord 
will  clothe  me  in  "  linen  clean  and  white,"  and 
in  my  consecrated  spirit  my  scholars  shall  dis- 
cern the  incense  of  sacrifice.  And  woe  is  me  if 
I  attempt  to  fill  the  godly  office  without  my  God. 

And  I  can  be  His  priest  in  my  workshop.  Yes, 
in  the  carpenter's  shop  I  may  wear  the  radiant 
robe  of  the  sanctified.  And  I,  too,  as  one  of  the 
priests  of  the  Lord,  can  "  bear  the  sin  of  many, 
and  make  intercession  for  the  transgressor." 


io8 


APRIL   ^l^e 


Seventeentn 


GREAT  PRAISE 

I  Chronicles  xvi.  7-36. 

REAT  is  the  Lord !  "  So  many  peo- 
ple have  such  a  little  God !  There 
is  nothing  about  Him  august  and 
sublime.  And  so  He  is  not  greatly 
praised.  The  worship  is  thin,  the 
thanksgivings  are  scanty,  the  supplications  are 
indifferent. 

All  great  saints  have  a  great  God.  He  fills 
their  universe.  Therefore  do  they  move  about 
in  a  fruitful  awe,  and  everywhere  there  is  only  a 
thin  veil  between  them  and  His  appearing. 
Everywhere  they  discern  His  holy  presence,  as 
the  face  of  a  bride  is  dimly  seen  beneath  her 
bridal  veil.  And  so  even  the  common  scrub  of 
the  wilderness  is  aflame  with  sacred  fire :  the 
humble  "  primrose  on  the  rock  "  becomes  "  the 
court  of  Deity  " :  and  the  "  strength  of  the  hills 
is  His  also  "  ! 

Yes,  a  great  God  inspires  great  praise,  and  in 
great  praise  small  cares  and  small  meannesses 
are  utterly  consumed  away.  When  praise  is 
mean,  anxieties  multiply.  Therefore  let  me  con- 
template the  greatness  of  God  in  nature  and  in 
providence,  in  His  power,  and  His  holiness,  and 
His  love.  Let  me  "  stand  in  awe  "  before  His 
glory :  and  in  the  fruitful  reverence  the  soul  will 
be  moved  in  acceptable  praise. 


APRIL  (lUe 


MECHANICAL  PIETY 

Philemon  10-18. 
HE  Apostle  Paul  declares  that  bene- 
fits may  be  given  in  one  of  two 
ways — "  of  necessity  "  and  "  will- 
ingly." One  is  mechanical,  the  other 
is  spontaneous.  I  once  saw  a  little 
table-fountain  playing  in  a  drawing-room,  but 
I  heard  the  click  of  its  machinery,  and  the  charm 
was  gone  !  It  had  to  be  wound  up  before  it  would 
play,  and  at  frequent  periods  it  "  ran  down."  A 
little  later  I  saw  another  fountain  playing  on  a 
green  lawn,  and  it  was  fed  from  the  deep  secret 
resources  of  the  hills ! 

There  is  a  generosity  which  is  like  the  draw- 
ing-room fountain.  If  you  listen  you  can  hear  the 
mechanical  click,  and  a  sound  of  friction,  arising 
from  murmuring  and  complaint.  And  there  is  a 
generosity  which  is  like  the  fountain  that  is  the 
child  of  the  hills.  It  is  clear,  and  sweet,  and 
musical,  and  flows  on  through  every  season  !  One 
is  "  of  necessity  "  ;  the  other  is  "  willingly."  And 
"  God  loveth  a  cheerful  giver." 

And  prayer  can  be  of  the  same  two  contrary 
orders.  One  prayer  is  mechanical,  it  is  hard, 
formal,  metallic.  The  other  is  spontaneous, 
forceful,  and  irresistible.  Listen  to  the  Phari- 
see— "  Lord,  I  thank  Thee  that  I  am  not  as  other 
men  are."  It  is  the  click  of  the  machine !  Listen 
to  the  publican — "  God  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sin- 
ner! "     It  is  the  voice  of  the  deeps. 


no 


APRIL    ^e    NineteentK, 


UNION  IN  HARMONY 

Be  ye  all  of  one  mind." — i  Peter  iii.  8-17. 

[UT  this  is  not  unison:  it  is  harmony. 
When  an  orchestra  produces  some 
great  musical  masterpiece,  the  instru- 
ments are  all  of  one  mind,  but  each 
makes  its  own  individual  contribu- 
tion. There  is  variety  with  concordance  :  each  one 
serves  every  other,  and  the  result  is  glorious  har- 
mony. "  By  love  serve  one  another."  It  is  love 
that  converts  membership  into  fraternity :  it  is 
love  that  binds  sons  and  daughters  into  a  family. 

Look  at  a  field  of  wild-flowers.  What  a  har- 
mony of  colour!  And  yet  what  a  variety  of 
colours !  Nothing  out  of  place,  but  no  sameness ! 
All  drawing  resource  from  the  same  soil,  and 
breathing  the  vitalizing  substance  from  the  same 
air! 

"  And  ye,  being  rooted  and  grounded  in  love," 
will  grow  up,  a  holy  family  in  the  Lord.  If  love 
be  the  common  ground  the  varieties  in  God's 
family  may  be  infinite  ! 

And  so  the  unity  which  the  apostle  seeks  is 
a  unity  of  mood  and  disposition.  It  is  not  a 
unity  which  repeats  the  exact  syllables  of  a  com- 
mon creed,  but  a  unity  which  is  built  of  common 
trust,  and  love,  and  hope.  It  is  not  sameness 
upon  the  outer  lips,  but  fellowship  in  the  secret 
place. 


APRIL    OKe    Twentieth 


III 


THE  JOY  OF  THE  LOVER 
Romans  xii.  9-18. 
OVE  finds  her  joy  in  seeing  others 
crowned.  Envy  darkens  when  she 
sees  the  garland  given  to  another. 
Jealousy  has  no  festival  except  when 
she  is  "  Queen  of  the  May."  But 
love  thrills  to  another's  exaltation.  She  feels  the 
glow  of  another's  triumph.  When  another  basks 
in  favour  her  own  "  time  of  singing  of  birds  is 
come !  " 

And  all  this  is  because  love  has  wonderful 
chords  which  vibrate  to  the  secret  things  in  the 
souls  of  others.  Indeed,  the  gift  of  love  is  just  the 
gift  of  delicate  correspondence,  the  power  of 
exquisite  fellow-feeling,  the  ability  to  *'  rejoice 
with  them  that  do  rejoice,  and  to  weep  with  them 
that  weep."  When,  therefore,  the  soul  of  an- 
other is  exultant,  and  the  wedding-bells  are  ring- 
ing, love's  kindred  bells  ring  a  merry  peal.  When 
the  soul  of  another  is  depressed,  and  a  funeral 
dirge  is  wailing,  love's  kindred  chords  wail  in 
sad  communion.  So  love  can  enter  another's 
state  as  though  it  were  her  own. 

Our  Master  spake  condemningly  of  those  who 
have  lost  this  exquisite  gift.  They  have  lost 
their  power  of  response.  "  We  have  piped  with 
you,  and  ye  have  not  danced ;  we  have  mourned 
with  you,  and  ye  have  not  lamented."  They  lived 
in  selfish  and  loveless  isolation.  They  have  lost 
all  power  of  tender  communion. 


112 


APRIL    rrKe    Twenty-first, 


LOVE    AS    THE    GREAT   MAGICIAN 
I  John  ii.  i-ii. 

NEW  commandment !  And  yet  it  is 
an  old  one  with  a  new  meaning.  It 
is  the  old  water-pot,  but  its  water 
has  been  changed  into  wine.  It  is  the 
old  letter  with  a  new  spirit.  It  is  the 
old  body  with  a  new  soul.  Love  makes  all  things 
new !  It  changes  duty  into  delight,  and  statutes 
into  songs. 

What  a  magic  difference  love  makes  to  a  face. 
It  at  once  becomes  a  face  illumined.  Love  makes 
the  plainest  face  winsome  and  attractive.  It 
adds  the  light  of  heaven,  and  the  earthly  is 
transfigured.  No  cosmetics  are  needed  when 
love  is  in  possession.  She  will  do  her  own  beau- 
tifying work,  and  everybody  will  know  her  sign. 
What  a  magic  difference  love  makes  in  serv- 
ice !  The  hireling  goes  about  his  work  with 
heavy  and  reluctant  feet :  the  lover  sings  and 
dances  at  his  toil.  The  hireling  scamps  his  work : 
the  lover  is  always  adding  another  touch,  and  is 
never  satisfied.  Just  one  more  touch!  And  just 
another !  And  so  on  until  the  good  God  shall 
say  that  loving  "  patience  has  had  her  perfect 
work." 

Love  lights  up  everything,  for  she  is  the 
light  of  life.  Let  her  dwell  in  the  soul,  and 
every  room  in  the  life  shall  be  filled  with  the 
glory  of  the  Lord. 


APRIL 


Twent37-second 


SPEECH  AS  A  SYMPTOM  OF  HEALTH 

"  The  tongue  of  the  wise  is  health." — 
Proverbs  xii.  13-22. 

UR  doctors  often  test  our  physical 
condition  by  the  state  of  our  tongue. 
With  another  and  deeper  significance 
the  tongue  is  also  the  register  of  our 
condition.  Our  words  are  a  perfect 
index  of  our  moral  and  spiritual  health.  If  our 
words  are  unclean  and  untrue,  our  souls  are  as- 
suredly sickly  and  diseased.  A  perverse  tongue 
is  never  allied  with  a  sanctified  heart.  And,  there- 
fore, everyone  may  apply  a  clinical  test  to  his  own 
life:  "What  is  the  character  of  my  speech? 
What  do  my  words  indicate?  What  do  they 
suggest  as  to  the  depths  and  background  of  the 
soul?"  "By  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  justified, 
and  by  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  condemned." 

God  delighteth  in  truthful  lips.  Right  words 
are  fruit  from  the  tree  of  life.  The  Lord  turns 
away  from  falsehood  as  we  turn  away  from  ma- 
terial corruption,  only  with  an  infinitely  intenser 
loathing  and  disgust. 

It  is  only  the  lips  that  have  been  purified 
with  flame  from  the  holy  altar  of  God  that  can 
offer  words  that  are  pleasing  unto  Him. 


"  Take  my  lips  and  let  them  be 
Filled  with  messages  from  Thee." 


114 


APRIL    OKe    Txventy-tKird 


MASCULINE  FORGIVENESS 

CoLossiANS  iii.  12-17. 

RUE  forgiveness  is  a  very  strong  and 
clean  and  masculine  virtue.  There  is 
a  counterfeit  forgiveness  v^hich  is 
unworthy  of  the  name.  It  is  full  of 
"  buts,"  and  "  ifs/'  and  "  maybes," 
and  "  peradventures."  It  moves  with  reluctance, 
it  offers  with  averted  face,  it  takes  back  with  one 
hand  what  it  gives  with  the  other.  It  forgives, 
but  it  "  cannot  forget."  It  forgives,  but  it  "  can 
never  trust  again."  It  forgives,  but  "  things  can 
never  be  the  same  as  they  were."  What  kind  of 
forgiveness  is  this?  It  is  the  mercy  of  the  police- 
court.  It  is  the  remission  of  penalty,  not  the 
glorious  "  abandon "  of  grace !  It  is  a  cold 
"  Don't  do  it  again,"  not  the  weeping  and  com- 
passionate goodwill  of  the  Lord. 

"  Even  as  Christ  forgave  you,  so  also  do  ye." 
That  is  to  be  our  motive,  and  that  is  to  be  our 
measure.  We  are  to  forgive  because  Christ  for- 
gave us.  The  glorious  memory  of  His  grace  is 
to  make  us  gracious.  His  tender,  healing  words 
to  us  are  to  redeem  our  speech  from  all  harsh- 
ness. In  the  contemplation  of  His  cross  we  are 
to  become  "  partakers  of  His  sufferings,"  and  by 
the  shedding  of  our  own  blood  help  to  close  and 
heal  the  alienation  of  the  world. 

And  we  are  to  forgive  as  Christ  forgave  us. 
Resentment  is  to  be  changed  into  frank  goodwill, 
and  filled  with  the  grace  of  the  Lord. 


APRIL  <TKe    Twenty-fourtK 


LIMITED  FORGIVENESS 

Luke  xvii.  3-10. 

E  are  always  inclined  to  set  a  limit 
to  our  moral  obligations.  We  wish, 
as  we  say,  "  to  draw  a  line  some- 
where." We  want  to  appoint  a  defi- 
nite place  where  obligation  ceases, 
and  where  the  moral  strain  may  be  released. 
The  Apostle  Peter  wished  his  Master  to  draw 
such  a  line  in  the  matter  of  forgiveness.  "  Lord, 
how  oft  shall  I  forgive  ?  Till  seven  times  ?  "  He 
wanted  a  tiny  moral  rule  which  he  could  apply 
to  his  brother's  conduct. 

Not  so  the  Lord.  Our  Master  tells  His  dis- 
ciple that  in  those  spiritual  realms  relations  are 
not  governed  by  arithmetic.  We  cannot,  by 
counting,  measure  off  our  obligations.  Our  re- 
peated acts  of  forgiveness  never  bring  us  nearer 
to  the  freedom  of  revenge.  No  amount  of  sweet- 
ness will  ever  permit  us  to  be  bitter.  We  can- 
not, by  being  good,  obtain  a  license  to  be  evil. 
The  fact  of  the  matter  is,  if  our  goodness  is  of 
genuine  quality,  every  act  will  more  strongly  dis- 
pose us  to  further  goodness.  It  is  the  counter- 
feit element  in  our  goodness  that  inclines  us  to 
the  opposite  camp.  It  is  when  our  forgiveness  is 
tainted  that  we  anticipate  the  "  sweetness  "  of 
revenge. 


APRIL    aKe    Twenty-fiftK 


THE  HIDDEN  FOES 

Matthew  v.  21-26. 
UR  Lord  always  leads  us  to  the  secret, 
innermost  roots  of  things.  He  does 
not  concern  Himself  with  symptoms, 
but  with  causes.  He  does  not  begin 
with  the  molten  lava  flowing  down 
the  fair  mountain  slope  and  destroying  the  vine- 
yards. He  begins  with  the  central  fires  in  which 
the  lava  is  born.  He  does  not  begin  with  un- 
cleanness.  He  begins  with  the  thoughts  which 
produce  it.  He  does  not  begin  with  murder, 
but  with  the  anger  which  causes  it.  He  pierces 
to  the  secret  fires ! 

Now,  all  anger  is  not  of  sin.  The  Apostle 
Paul  enjoins  his  readers  to  "  be  angry,  and  sin 
not."  To  be  altogether  incapable  of  anger  would 
be  to  ofifer  no  antagonism  to  the  wrongs  and  op- 
pressions of  the  world.  "  Who  is  made  to  stum- 
ble, and  I  burn  not  ?  "  cries  the  Apostle  Paul. 
If  wrong  stalked  abroad  with  heedless  feet  he 
burned  with  holy  passion.  There  is  anger  which 
is  like  clean  flame,  clear  and  pure,  as  "  the  sea 
of  glass  mingled  with  fire."  And  there  is  anger 
which  is  like  a  smoky  bonfire,  and  it  pollutes 
while  it  destroys. 

It  is  the  unclean  anger  which  is  of  sin.  It 
seeks  revenge,  not  righteousness.  It  seeks  "  to 
get  its  own  back,"  not  to  get  the  wrong-doer  back 
to  God.  It  follows  wrong  with  further  wrong. 
It  spreads  the  devil's  fire. 


APRIL    QKe    Twenty-sixtK 


117 


GOLIATH  VERSUS  GOD! 

I  Samuel  xvii.  i-ii. 

OLIATH  seemed  to  have  everything 
on  his  side  except  God.  And  the 
things  in  v^hich  he  boasted  were  just 
the  things  in  which  men  are  prone  to 
boast  to-day. 

He  had  physical  strength.  "  His  height  was 
six  cubits  and  a  span."  Athletics  had  done  all 
they  could  for  him,  and  he  was  a  fine  type  of 
animal  perfection. 

He  had  splendid  military  equipment.  "  A  hel- 
met of  brass,"  and  "  a  coat  of  mail,"  and  "  a  spear 
like  a  weaver's  beam !  "  Surely,  if  fine  material 
equipment  determines  combats,  the  shepherd-lad 
from  the  hills  of  Bethlehem  will  be  annihilated. 

And  he  enjoyed  the  enthusiastic  confidence  of 
the  Philistines.  He  was  his  nation's  pride  and 
glory !  He  strode  out  amid  their  shouts,  and  the 
cheers  were  like  iron  in  his  blood. 

But  all  this  counted  for  nothing,  because  God 
was  against  him.  Men  and  nations  may  attain  to 
a  fine  animalism,  their  warlike  equipment  may 
satisfy  the  most  exacting  standard,  and  yet,  with 
God  against  them,  they  shall  be  as  structures 
woven  out  of  mists,  and  they  shall  collapse  at  the 
touch  of  apparent  weakness.  The  issue  was  not 
Goliath  versus  David,  but  Goliath  versus  God ! 


ii8 


APRIL    niie    Twenty-seventK 


OBSCURE    BIRTHPLACES 

I  Samuel  xvii.  12-27. 

OD'S  champion  is  at  present  feeding 
sheep!  Who  would  have  expected 
that  GoHath's  antagonist  would 
emerge  from  the  quiet  pastures? 
"  Genius  hatches  her  offspring  in 
strange  places."  Very  humble  homes  are  the 
birthplaces  of  mighty  emancipations. 

There  was  a  little  farm  at  St.  Ives,  and  the 
farmer  lived  a  quiet  and  unsensational  life.  But 
the  affairs  of  the  nation  became  more  and  more 
confused  and  threatening.  Monarchical  power 
despoiled  the  people's  liberties,  and  tyranny  be- 
came rampant.  And  out  from  the  little  farm 
strode  Oliver  Cromwell,  the  ordained  of  God,  to 
emancipate  his  country. 

There  was  an  obscure  rectory  at  Epworth. 
The  doings  in  the  little  rectory  were  just  the 
quiet  practices  of  similar  homes  in  countless  parts 
of  England.  And  England  was  becoming  brutal- 
ized, because  its  religious  life  was  demoralized. 
The  Church  was  asleep,  and  the  devil  was  wide 
awake !  And  forth  from  the  humble  rectory 
strode  John  Wesley,  the  appointed  champion  of 
the  Lord  to  enthuse,  to  purify,  and  to  sweeten 
the  life  of  the  people. 

On  what  quiet  farm  is  the  coming  deliverer 
now  labouring?    Who  knows? 


Twenty-eigntn 


PREPARING  FOR  GREAT  ENCOUNTERS 
I  Samuel  xvii.  28-37. 

HIS  young  champion  of  the  Lord  had 
won  many  victories  before  he  faced 
Goliath.  Everything  depends  on  how 
I  approach  my  supreme  conflicts.  If 
I  have  been  careless  in  smaller  com- 
bats I  shall  fail  in  the  larger.  If  I  come,  wear- 
ing the  garlands  of  triumph  won  in  the  shade,  the 
shout  of  victory  is  already  in  the  air!  Let  me 
look  at  David's  trophies  before  he  removed  Goli- 
ath's head. 

He  had  conquered  his  temper.  Read  Eliab's 
irritating  taunt  in  the  twenty-eighth  verse,  and 
mark  the  fine  self-possession  of  the  young  cham- 
pion's reply !  That  conquest  of  temper  helped 
him  when  he  took  aim  at  Goliath !  There  is 
nothing  like  passion  for  disturbing  the  accuracy 
of  the  eye  and  the  steadiness  of  the  hand. 

He  had  conquered  fear.  "  Let  no  man's  heart 
fail  because  of  him."  There  was  no  panic,  there 
was  no  feverish  and  wasteful  excitement.  There 
was  no  shouting  "  to  keep  the  spirits  up !  "  He 
was  perfectly  calm. 

And  he  had  conquered  unbelief.  He  had  a  rich 
history  of  the  providential  dealings  of  God  with 
him,  and  his  confidence  was  now  unclouded  and 
serene.  He  had  known  the  Lord's  power  when 
he  faced  the  bear  and  the  lion.    Now  for  Goliath ! 


I20 


APRIL    nixe    Twenty-nintK 


THE  MOOD  OF  TRIUMPH 

"I  come  to  thee  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of 
Hosts." — I  Samuel  xvii.  38-54. 

HE  man  who  comes  up  to  his  foes 
with    this   assurance    will   fight   and 
win.     Reasonable  confidence  is  one 
of     the    most     important    weapons 
■  in     the     warrior's     armoury.      Fear 

is  always  wasteful.  The  man  who  calmly 
expects  to  win  has  already  begun  to  conquer. 
Our  mood  has  so  much  to  do  with  our  might. 
And  therefore  does  the  Word  of  God  counsel  us 
to  attend  to  our  dispositions,  lest,  having  carefully 
collected  our  material  implements,  we  have  no 
strength  to  use  them. 

And  the  man  who  comes  up  to  his  foes  with 
holy  assurance  will  fight  with  consummate  skill. 
He  will  be  quite  "  collected."  All  his  powers 
will  wait  upon  one  another,  and  they  will 
move  together  as  one.  He  is  as  self-pos- 
sessed upon  the  battlefield  as  upon  parade,  as 
undisturbed  before  Goliath  as  before  a  flock  of 
sheep  !  And  therefore  do  I  say  that,  fighting  with 
perfect  composure,  he  fights  with  superlative 
skill.  The  right  moment  is  seized,  the  right 
stone  is  chosen,  the  right  aim  is  taken,  and  great 
Goliath  is  brought  low. 


APRIL   niie    Thirtieth 


121 


THE  TEST  OF  VICTORY 

"David  hehaveth  himself  wisely." — i  Samuel 
xvii.  55 — xviii.  5. 

HE  hour  of  victory  is  a  more  severe 
moral  test  than  the  hour  of  defeat. 
Many  a  man  can  brave  the  perils  of 
adversity  who  succumbs  to  the  se- 
ductions of  prosperity.  He  can 
stand  the  cold  better  than  the  heat !  He  is  en- 
riched by  failure,  but  "  spoilt  by  success."  To  test 
the  real  quality  of  a  man,  let  us  regard  him  just 
when  he  has  slain  Goliath !  "  David  behaved 
himself  wisely  " ! 

He  was  not  "  eaten  up  with  pride."  He  de- 
veloped no  "  side."  He  went  among  his  friends 
as  though  no  Goliath  had  ever  crossed  his  way. 
He  was  not  for  ever  recounting  the  triumph,  and 
fishing  for  the  compliments  of  his  audience.  He 
"  behaved  wisely."  So  many  of  us  tarnish  our 
victories  by  the  manner  in  which  we  display 
them.  We  put  them  into  the  shop-window,  and 
they  become  "  soiled  goods." 

And  in  this  hour  of  triumph  David  made  a 
noble  friend.  In  his  noonday  he  found  Jonathan, 
and  their  hearts  were  knit  to  each  other  in  deep 
and  intimate  love.  It  is  beautiful  when  our  vic- 
tories are  so  nobly  borne  that  they  introduce  us 
into  higher  fellowships^  and  the  friends  of  heaven 
become  our  friends. 


122 


MAY    OKe    First 


THE   CONDITIONS  OF  SERENITY 

Psalm  cxxiv. 

F  I  would  be  like  the  Psalmist,  I 
must  clearly  recognise  my  perils. 
He  sees  the  "  waters,"  the  "  proud 
waters."  He  beholds  the  "  enemy," 
and  his  "  wrath,"  and  his  "  teeth." 
He  sees  "  the  fowler  "  with  his  snare  !  I  must  not 
shut  my  eyes,  and  "  make  my  judgment  blind." 
One  of  the  gifts  of  grace  is  the  spirit  of  discern- 
ment, the  eyes  which  not  only  detect  hidden 
treasure,  but  hidden  foes.  The  devil  is  an  ex- 
pert in  mimicry ;  he  can  make  himself  look  like 
an  angel  of  light.  And  so  must  I  be  able  to  dis- 
cover his  snares,  even  when  they  appear  as  the 
most  seductive  food. 

And  if  I  would  be  like  the  Psalmist,  I  must 
clearly  recognise  my  great  Ally.  "  If  it  has  not 
been  the  Lord,  who  was  on  our  side  !  "  To  see  the 
Ally  on  the  perilous  field,  and  to  see  Him  on  my 
side,  gives  birth  to  holy  confidence  and  song. 
"  The  Lord  is  on  my  side,  whom  shall  I  fear  ?  " 
I  must  make  sure  of  the  Ally,  and  "  victory  is 
secure." 

And  if  I  would  be  like  the  Psalmist,  I  must 
not  omit  the  doxology  of  praise.  When  the 
prayer  is  answered,  I  am  apt  to  forget  the  praise. 
My  thanksgivings  are  not  so  ready  as  my  re- 
quests. And  so  the  apparently  conquered  enemy 
steals  in  again  at  the  door  of  an  ungrateful  heart. 


MAT  Olie 


THE  HAPPY  WARRIOR 

Ephesians  vi.  10-18. 

ERE  is  a  portrait  of  the  happy  war- 
rior !  Let  me  first  look  at  the 
warrior,  and  then  at  the  implements 
with  which  he  fights. 

"  You  cannot  fight  the  French 
merely  with  red  uniforms  ;  there  must  be  men  in- 
side them !  "  So  said  Thomas  Carlyle.  Well, 
look  at  this  man.  "Strengthened  in  the  Lord, 
and  in  the  power  of  His  might."  There  is  a 
secret  communion  with  the  Almighty,  and  he 
draws  his  resources  from  the  Infinite.  The  water 
in  my  home  comes  from  the  Welsh  hills ;  every 
drop  was  gathered  on  those  grand  and  expansive 
uplands.  And  this  man's  soldierly  strength  is 
drawn  from  the  hills  of  God ;  every  ounce  of  his 
fighting  blood  comes  from  the  veins  of  the  Lord. 
And  mark  the  nature  of  his  armoury.  His 
weapons  are  dispositions.  He  fights  with 
"  truth,"  and  "  righteousness,"  and  "  peace,"  and 
"  faith,"  and  "  prayer  "  !  There  are  no  imple- 
ments like  these.  A  sword  will  fail  where  a 
courtesy  will  prevail.  We  can  kill  our  enemies 
by  kindness.  And  as  for  the  devil  himself  there 
is  nothing  like  a  grace-filled  disposition  for  put- 
ting him  to  flight !  A  prayerful  disposition  can 
drive  him  off  any  field,  at  any  hour  of  the  day 
or  night.    "  Put  on  the  whole  armour  of  God." 


MAY  m^e   TKird 


OTHER    GODS! 
"  Thou  shah  have  no  other  gods  before  Me." 
— Exodus  xx.  i-ii. 

F  we  kept  that  commandment  all  the 
other  commandments  would  be 
obeyed.  If  we  secure  this  queen- 
bee  we  are  given  the  swarm.  To 
put  nothing-  "  before  "  God !  What 
is  left  in  the  circle  of  obedience?  God  first, 
always  and  everywhere.  Nothing  allowed  to 
usurp  His  throne  for  an  hour!  I  was  once  al- 
lowed to  sit  on  an  earthly  throne  for  a  few 
seconds,  but  even  that  is  not  to  be  allowed  with 
the  throne  of  God.  Nothing  is  to  share  His  sov- 
ereignty, even  for  a  moment.  His  dominion 
is  to  be  unconditional  and  unbroken.  "  Thou 
shalt  have  no  other  gods  beside  Me." 

But  we  have  many  gods  we  set  upon  His 
throne.  We  put  money  there,  and  fame,  and 
pleasure,  and  ease.  Yes,  we  sometimes  usurp 
God's  throne,  and  we  ourselves  dare  to  sit  there 
for  days,  and  weeks,  and  years,  at  a  time.  Self  is 
the  idol,  and  we  enthrone  it,  and  we  fall  down 
and  worship  it.  But  no  peace  comes  from  such 
sovereignty,  and  no  deep  and  vital  joy.  For 
the  real  King  is  not  dead,  and  He  is  out  and 
about,  and  our  poor  little  monarchy  is  as  the 
reign  of  the  midge  on  a  summer's  night.  Our 
real  kingship  is  in  the  acknowledgment  of  the 
King  of  kings.  When  we  worship  Him,  and 
Him  only.  He  will  ask  us  to  sit  on  His  throne. 


MAY  OK^ 


A  HEALTHY  PALATE 

"  How  szi'cet  are  Thy  words  unto  my  taste." — 
Psalm  cxix.  97-104. 

OME  people  like  one  thing,  and  some 
another.  Some  people  appreciate  the 
bitter  olive ;  others  feel  it  to  be 
nauseous.  Some  delight  in  the 
sweetest  grapes ;  others  feel  the 
sweetness  to  be  sickly.  It  is  all  a  matter  of 
palate.  Some  people  love  the  Word  of  the  Lord ; 
to  others  the  reading  of  it  is  a  dreary  task.  To 
some  the  Bible  is  like  a  vineyard ;  to  others  it 
is  like  a  dry  and  tasteless  meal.  One  takes  the 
word  of  the  Master,  and  it  is  "  as  honey  to  the 
mouth  " ;  to  another  the  same  word  is  as  unwel- 
come as  a  bitter  drug.  It  is  all  a  matter  of  palate. 
But  what  is  a  man  to  do  who  has  got  a  per- 
verted palate,  and  who  calls  sweet  things  bitter 
and  bitter  things  sweet?  He  must  get  a  new 
mouth!  And  where  is  he  to  get  it?  Not  by  any 
ministry  of  his  own  creation ;  his  own  endeavours 
will  be  impotent.  A  healthy  moral  palate  de- 
pends upon  the  purity  of  the  heart.  Our  spiritual 
discernments  are  all  determined  by  the  state  of 
the  soul.  If  the  heart  be  pure,  the  mouth  will  be 
clean,  and  we  shall  love  God's  law.  If  the  soul- 
appetite  be  healthy,  God's  words  will  be  sweet 
unto  our  taste.  And  so  does  the  good  Lord  give 
us  new  palates  by  giving  us  new  hearts.  "  Create 
within  us  clean  hearts,  O  God,  and  renew  right 
spirits  within  us." 


HEALTHY  LISTENING 
"Be  ye  doers  of  the  word  and  not  hearers 
only." — James  i.  21-27. 

HEN  we  hear  the  word,  but  do  not 
do  it,  there  has  been  a  defect  in  our 
hearing.  We  may  listen  to  the  word 
for  mere  entertainment.  Or  we  may 
attach  a  virtue  to  the  mere  act  of 
listening  to  the  word.  We  may  assume  that 
some  magical  efficacy  belongs  to  the  mere  read- 
ing of  the  word.  And  all  this  is  perverse  and 
delusive.  No  listening  is  healthy  which  is  not 
mentally  referred  to  obedience.  We  are  to  listen 
with  a  view  to  obedience,  with  our  eyes  upon  the 
very  road  where  the  obedient  feet  will  travel. 
That  is  to  say,  we  are  to  listen  with  purpose,  as 
though  we  were  Ambassadors  receiving  instruc- 
tions from  the  King  concerning  some  momen- 
tous mission.  Yes,  we  must  listen  with  an  eye  on 
the  road. 

"  Doing "  makes  a  new  thing  of  "  hearing." 
The  statute  obeyed  becomes  a  song.  The  com- 
mandment is  found  to  be  a  beatitude.  The 
decree  discloses  riches  of  grace.  The  hidden 
things  of  God  are  not  discovered  until  we  are 
treading  the  path  of  obedience.  "  And  it  came 
to  pass  that  as  he  went  he  received  his  sight." 
In  the  way  of  obedience  the  blind  man  found  a 
new  world.  God  has  wonderful  treasures  for  the 
dutiful.  The  faithful  discover  the  "  hidden 
manna." 


MAT    ^e 


THE  PERFECTING   OF  LOVE 
"Herein  is  our  love  made  perfect." — i  John 

iv.    II-2I. 

OW?  By  dwelling-  in  God  and  God 
in  us.  Love  is  not  a  manufacture ;  it 
is  a  fruit.  It  is  not  born  of  certain 
works ;  it  springs  out  of  certain  re- 
lations. It  does  not  come  from  do- 
ing something;  it  comes  from  living  with  Some- 
body. "  Abide  in  Me."  That  is  how  love  is 
born,  for  "  love  is  of  God,  and  God  is  love." 

How  many  people  are  striving  who  are  not 
abiding.  They  live  in  a  manufactory,  they  do 
not  live  in  a  home.  They  are  trying  to  make 
something  instead  of  to  know  Somebody.  "  This 
is  life,  to  know  Thee."  When  I  am  related  to 
the  Lord  Jesus,  when  I  dwell  with  Him,  love  is 
as  surely  born  as  beauty  and  fragrance  are  born 
when  my  garden  and  the  springtime  dwell  to- 
gether. If  we  would  only  wisely  cultivate  the 
fellowship  of  Jesus,  everything  else  would  follow 
in  its  train — all  that  gracious  succession  of 
beautiful  things  which  are  called  "  the  fruits  of 
the  Spirit." 

And  "  herein  is  our  love  made  perfect."  It  is 
always  growing  richer,  because  it  is  always 
drawing  riches  from  the  inexhaustible  love  of 
God.  How  could  it  be  otherwise?  Endless 
resource  must  mean  endless  growth.  "  Our 
life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God,"  and  hence  our 
love  will  "  grow  in  all  wisdom  and  discernment." 


MAT    OKe    Se-OentK 


IN   THE   WAYS  OF  OBEDIENCE 
Psalm  xix.  7-14. 
ET  me  listen  to  the  exquisite  chimes 
of  this  wonderful  psalm  as  they  ring 
out  the  blessedness  of  the  man  whose 
delight  is   in   the  law  of   the  Lord. 
What  shall  he  find  in  the  ways  of 
obedience  ? 

He  shall  find  restoration.  ■"  Restoring  the 
soul."  He  shall  find  new  stores  of  food  along 
the  way.  In  every  emergency  he  shall  find  fresh 
provision;  every  new  need  shall  discover  new 
supplies.  When  one  store  is  spent,  another  shall 
take  its  place.  "  Thou  re-storest  my  soul."  In 
the  ways  of  righteousness  the  good  Lord  has  ap- 
pointed ample  stores  for  the  provision  of  all  His 
faithful  pilgrims. 

He  shall  find  joy.  "  Rejoicing  the  heart."  In 
the  way  of  obedience  there  shall  be  springs  of 
delight  as  well  as  stores  of  provision.  "  With 
joy  shall  ye  draw  waters  out  of  the  wells  of  sal- 
vation." Fountains  of  delicious  satisfaction  rise 
in  the  realm  of  duty,  the  satisfaction  of  being 
right  with  God,  and  in  union  with  the  eternal 
will.  There  is  no  day  without  its  spring,  and 
"  the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  our  strength." 

<He  shall  find  vision.  "  Enlightening  the  eyes." 
The  eyes  of  the  obedient  are  anointed  with  the 
eye-salve  of  grace,  and  wondrous  panoramas 
break  upon  the  sight.  Visions  of  grace !  Visions 
of  love !    Visions  of  glory ! 


MAT  ^e  EightK 


HOW  NOT  TO  FORGET 

Deuteronomy  xi.   18-25. 

F  we  wish  to  retain  "  the  word  of  the 
Lord "  everything  depends  upon 
where  we  keep  it.  If  we  just  keep 
it  in  the  mind,  a  leaky  memory  may 
waste  the  treasure.  A  Chinese  con- 
vert declared  that  he  found  the  best  way  to 
remember  the  word  was  to  do  it !  The  engraved 
word  became  character,  written  upon  the  fleshy 
tables  of,  the  heart.  He  incarnated  the  word,  and 
it  became  a  vital  part  of  his  own  personality. 
He  lived  it  and  it  lived  in  him.  The  word  be- 
came flesh.  This  is  the  only  really  vital  "  way  of 
remembrance,''  to  convert  the  word  into  the 
primary  stufif  of  the  life. 

There  is  a  secondary  way  by  which  we  may 
help  our  apprehension  of  God's  word.  "  Ye 
shall  teach  them."  Our  hold  upon  a  truth  is  in- 
creased while  we  impart  it  to  others.  The 
gospel  becomes  more  vivid  as  we  proclaim  it  to 
our  fellow-men.  We  see  it  while  we  explain  it. 
It  grips  us  the  more  firmly  as  we  use  it  to  grip 
our  children.  This  is  a  great  law  in  life.  In 
these  matters  it  is  literally  true  that  memory  best 
retains  what  she  gives  away.  A  truth  that  is 
never  shared  is  never  really  possessed.  The 
word  that  we  teach  becomes  rooted  in  our  own 
mind. 


MAY  OKe    MintK, 


LOVING    THE    LORD 

Luke  x.  21-28. 

HE  secret  of  life  is  to  love  the  Lord 
our  God,  and  our  neighbours  as  our- 
selves. But  how  are  we  to  love  the 
Lord?  We  cannot  manufacture  love. 
We  cannot  love  to  order.  We 
cannot  by  an  act  of  will  command  its  ap- 
pearing. No,  not  in  these  ways  is  love  created. 
Love  is  not  a  work,  it  is  a  fruit.  It  grows  in  suit- 
able soils,  and  it  is  our  part  to  prepare  the  soils. 
When  the  conditions  are  congenial,  love  appears, 
just  as  the  crocus  and  the  snowdrop  appear  in 
the  congenial  air  of  the  spring. 

What,  then,  can  we  do?  We  can  seek  the 
Lord's  society.  We  can  think  about  Him.  We 
can  read  about  Him.  We  can  fill  our  imagina- 
tions with  the  grace  of  His  life  and  service.  We 
can  be  much  with  Him,  talking  to  Him  in  prayer, 
singing  to  Him  in  praise,  telling  Him  our  yearn- 
ings and  confessing  to  Him  our  defeats.  And 
love  will  be  quietly  born.  For  this  is  how  love  is 
born  between  heart  and  heart.  Two  people  are 
"  much  together,"  and  love  is  born !  And  when 
we  are  much  with  the  Lord,  we  are  with  One 
who  already  loves  us  with  an  everlasting  love. 
We  are  with  One  who  yearns  for  our  love 
and  who  seeks  in  every  way  to  win  it.  "  We  love 
Him  because  He  first  loved  us."  And  when  we 
truly  love  God,  every  other  kind  of  holy  love  will 
follow.     Given  the  fountain,  the  rivers  are  sure. 


MAY  niie 


GOD'S  USE  OF  MEN 

"I  have  surely  seen  the  affliction  of  My  peo- 
ple .  .  .  come  now,  therefore,  I  will  send  thee." 
— Exodus  iii.    1-14. 

OES  that  seem  a  weak  ending  to  a 
powerful  beginning?  The  Lord 
God  looks  upon  terrible  affliction 
and  He  sends  a  weak  man  to  deal 
with  it.  Could  He  not  have  sent  fire 
from  heaven?  Could  He  not  have  rent  the 
heavens  and  sent  His  ministers  of  calamity  and 
disasters?  Why  choose  a  man  when  the  arch- 
angel Gabriel  stands  ready  at  obedience? 

This  is  the  way  of  the  Lord.  He  uses  human 
means  to  divine  ends.  He  works  through  man 
to  the  emancipation  of  men.  He  pours  His 
strength  into  a  worm,  and  it  becomes  "  an  in- 
strument with  teeth."  He  stiffens  a  frail  reed 
and  it  becomes  as  an  iron  pillar. 

And  this  mighty  God  will  use  thee  and  me. 
On  every  side  there  are  Egypts  where  affliction 
abounds,  there  are  homes  where  ignorance 
breeds,  there  are  workshops  where  tyranny 
reigns,  there  are  lands  where  oppression  is  ram- 
pant. "  Come  now,  therefore,  I  will  send  thee." 
Thus  saith  the  Lord,  and  He  who  gives  the 
command  will  also  give  the  equipment. 


MAT    OKe    Eleventh 


BUT / 

"And  Moses  answered  and  said,  But " — 

Exodus  iv.  1-9. 

E  know  that  "  but."  God  has  heard 
it  from  our  lips  a  thousand  times. 
It  is  the  response  of  unbelief  to  the 
divine  call.  It  is  the  reply  of  fear  to 
the  divine  command.  It  is  the  sug- 
gestion that  the  resources  are  inadequate.  It  is 
a  hint  that  God  may  not  have  looked  all  round. 
He  has  overlooked  something  which  our  own 
eyes  have  seen.  The  human  "  buts  "  in  the  Scrip- 
tural stories  make  an  appalling  record. 

"  Lord,  I  will  follow  Thee,  but "     There 

is  something  else  to  be  attended  to  before  dis- 
cipleship  can  begin.  Obedience  is  not  primary: 
it  must  wait  for  something  else.  And  so  our 
obedience  is  not  a  straight  line :  it  is  crooked  and 
circuitous ;  it  takes  the  way  of  by-path  meadow 
instead  of  the  highway  of  the  Lord.  We  do  not 
wait  upon  the  Lord's  pleasure;  we  make  Him 
wait  upon  ours. 

There  need  be  no  "  buts  "  in  our  relationship 
to  the  King's  will.  Everything  has  been  foreseen. 
Nothing  will  take  the  Lord  by  surprise.  The 
entire  field  has  been  surveyed,  and  the  prepa- 
rations are  complete.  When  the  Lord  says  to 
thee  or  me,  "  I  will  send  thee,"  every  provision 
has  been  made  for  the  appointed  task.  "  I  will 
not  fail  thee." 


MAT   nixe    Tv^elftK 


133 


MOUTH  AND   MATTER 

"  Now  therefore  go,  and  I  will  be  with  thy 
month." — Exodus  iv.  10-17. 

ND  what  a  promise  that  is  for  any- 
one who  is  commissioned  to  proclaim 
the  King's  decrees.  Here  can  teach- 
ers and  preachers 'find  their  strength. 
God  will  be  with  their  mouths.  He 
will  control  their  speech,  and  order  their  words 
like  troops.  He  does  not  promise  to  make  us 
eloquent,  but  to  endow  our  words  with  the 
"  demonstration  of  power." 

"  And  I  will  teach  thee  what  thou  shalt  say." 
The  Lord  will  not  only  be  with  our  mouths,  but 
with  our  minds.  He  will  guide  our  thoughts  as 
well  as  our  words.  He  will  be  as  sentinel  at  the 
lips.  He  will  be  our  guide  in  our  processes  of 
meditation  and  judgment,  and  He  will  bring  us 
to  enlightened  ends.  All  of  which  is  just  this : 
He  will  give  us  mouth  and  matter. 

This  does  not  put  a  premium  upon  idleness. 
The  Lord  guides  when  men  are  honestly  groping. 
He  gives  us  fire  when  we  have  built  the  altar. 
He  works  His  miracle  when  we  have  provided 
the  five  loaves.  He  sends  His  light  through  dili- 
gent thinking.  The  divine  power  is  given 
through  the  consecrated  strength. 


134 


MAT    <lke   TKirteentK 


COMMONPLACE  FIDELITIES 

Exodus  ii.  11-25. 

OD  prepares  us  for  the  greater  cru- 
sades by  more  commonplace  fideli- 
ties. Through  the  practice  of 
common  kindnesses  God  leads  us  to 
chivalrous  tasks.  Little  courtesies 
feed  nobler  reverences.  No  man  can  despise 
smaller  duties  and  do  the  larger  duties  well.  Our 
strength  is  sapped  by  small  disobediences.  Our 
discourtesies  to  one  another  impair  our  worship 
of  God.  The  neglect  of  the  "  pointing "  of  a 
house  may  lead  to  dampness  and  fatal  disease. 

And  thus  the  only  way  to  live  is  by  filling 
every  moment  with  fidelity.  We  are  ready  for 
anything  when  we  have  been  faithful  in  every- 
thing. "  Because  thou  hast  been  faithful  in  that 
which  is  least !  "  That  is  the  order  in  moral  and 
spiritual  progress,  and  that  is  the  road  by  which 
we  climb  to  the  seats  of  the  mighty.  When 
every  stone  in  life  is  "  well  and  truly  laid  "  we 
are  sure  of  a  solid,  holy  temple  in  which  the 
Lord  will  delight  to  dwell.  The  quality  of  our 
greatness  depends  upon  what  we  do  with  "  that 
which  is  least." 


MAY    ni^e    FourteentK 


135 


CALAMITY   AS   REVEALER 

"  In  the  year  that  King  Usciah  died  I  saw  the 
Lord." — Isaiah  vi.  1-8. 

E  lost  a  hero,  and  he  found  the  Lord. 
He  feared  because  a  great  pillar  had 
fallen :  and  he  found  the  Pillar  of 
the  universe.  He  thought  every- 
thing v^ould  topple  into  disaster,  and 
lo !  he  felt  the  strength  of  the  everlasting  arms. 
When  Uzziah  lived  Isaiah  had  forgotten  his 
Lord.  He  so  depended  on  the  earthly  that  he 
had  overlooked  the  heavenly.  Uzziah  concealed 
his  Lord  as  a  thick  veil  can  hide  a  face.  And 
when  Uzziah  died,  when  the  earthly  king  passed 
away,  the  eternal  King  was  revealed ;  as  when 
by  the  passing  of  an  earth-born  cloud  the  moon 
reigns  radiant  in  the  open  sky. 

And  thus  it  is  that  apparent  calamity  is  often 
the  minister  of  revelation.  The  great  storm  clears 
the  air,  and  luminous  vistas  come  into  view.  The 
howling  wind  of  adversity  drives  away  the  earth- 
born  clouds  and  we  see  the  face  of  God.  Our 
sorrows  prove  the  occasion  of  our  visions.  We 
see  new  panoramas  through  our  tears.  Bereave- 
ment gives  us  spiritual  surprises,  and  death  be- 
comes the  servant  of  life.  And  so  it  happens  that 
days  which  began  in  gloom  end  in  revelation, 
and  we  keep  their  recurring  anniversary  with 
deepening  praise. 


GOD  IS  WIDE-AWAKE 

" leremiah,  what  seest  thonf     And  I  said,  I 
see  a  rod  of  an  almond  tree." — Jeremiah  i.  7-19. 

jND  through  the  almond  tree  the 
Lord  gave  the  trembHng  young 
prophet  the  strength  of  assurance. 
The  almond  tree  is  the  first  to  awake 
from  its  wintry  sleep.  When  all 
other  trees  are  held  in  frozen  slumber  the 
almond  blossoms  are  looking  out  on  the  barren 
world.  And  God  is  like  that,  awake  and  vigi- 
lant. Nobody  anticipates  Him.  Wherever 
Jeremiah  was  sent  on  his  prophetic  mission  the 
Lord  would  be  there  before  him.  Before  the 
prophet's  enemies  could  get  to  work  the  Lord 
was  on  the  field.  In  the  wintriest  circumstances 
of  a  prophet's  life  God  is  wide  awake :  "  He  that 
keepeth  Israel  shall  neither  slumber  nor  sleep." 
And  still  the  almond  tree  has  its  heartening 
significance  for  thee  and  me.  Our  God  is  wide- 
awake. He  looks  out  upon  our  wintry  circum- 
stances, and  nothing  is  hid  from  His  sight. 
There  is  no  unrecognized  and  uncounted  factor 
which  may  steal  in  furtively  and  take  Him  by 
surprise.  Everything  is  open.  He  is  wide-awake 
on  the  far-ofif  field  where  the  isolated  missionary 
is  ploughing  his  lonely  furrow.  He  is  wide- 
awake on  the  field  of  common  labour  where 
some  young  disciple  finds  it  hard  to  keep  clean 
hands  while  he  earns  his  daily  bread. 


MAT    niie    SixteentK 


THE  DETAILS  OF  PROVIDENCE 

"  The  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  num- 
bered."— Matthew  x.  24-31. 

ROVIDENCE  goes  into  details. 
Sometimes,  in  our  human  inter- 
course, we  cannot  see  the  trees  for 
the  wood.  We  cannot  see  the  indi- 
vidual sheep  for  the  flock.  We  can- 
not see  the  personal  soul  for  the  masses.  We  are 
blinded  by  the  bigness  of  things ;  we  cannot  see 
the  individual  blades  of  grass  because  of  the  field. 
Now  God's  vision  is  not  general,  it  is  par- 
ticular. There  are  no  "  masses  "  to  the  Infinite. 
"  He  calleth  His  own  sheep  by  name."  The 
single  one  is  seen  as  though  he  alone  possessed 
the  earth.  When  God  looks  at  the  wood  He 
sees  every  tree.  When  He  looks  at  the  race  He 
sees  every  man. 

And,  therefore,  I  need  not  fear  that  "  my  way 
is  overlooked  by  my  God."  He  knows  every 
turning.  He  knows  just  where  the  strain  begins 
at  the  hill.  He  knows  the  perils  of  every  descent. 
He  knows  every  happening  along  the  road.  He 
knows  every  letter  that  came  to  me  by  this 
morning's  post.  He  knows  every  visitor  who 
knocks  at  the  door  of  my  life,  whether  the  visi- 
tor come  at  the  high  noon  or  at  the  midnight. 
"  There  is  nothing  hid."  "  The  very  hairs  of 
your  head  are  all  numbered." 


138 


MAY    ni\e    SeventeentK 


MY  BODILY  INFIRMITIES 
John  ix.  1-12. 
N  infirmity  becomes  doubly  burden- 
some when  we  give  it  a  false  inter- 
pretation. The  weight  of  a  thing 
is  determined  by  our  conception  of 
it.  If  I  look  upon  my  ailment  as  the 
stroke  of  an  offended  God,  I  wear  it  like  the 
chains  of  a  slave.  If  I  look  upon  it  as  the  fire  of 
the  gracious  Refiner,  I  can  calmly  await  the 
beneficent  issue.  It  is  my  Lord,  engaged  in 
chastening  His  jewels ! 

And  so  our  Master  first  of  all  relieves  the 
blind  man  of  the  false  interpretation  of  his 
infirmity.  "  Neither  did  this  man  sin,  nor  his 
parents."  That  lifts  the  sorrow  out  of  the  winter 
into  the  spring.  It  sets  it  in  the  warm,  sweet 
light  of  grace.  It  becomes  transfigured.  It 
wears  a  new  face,  placed  there  in  "  the  light  of 
His  countenance."' 

And  then  our  Lord  relieves  the  blind  man  of 
the  infirmity  itself.  The  ministry  of  blindness 
was  accomplished,  and  sight  was  given.  No 
man  is  kept  in  the  darkness  a  moment  longer 
than  infinite  love  deems  good.  Our  Lord  does 
not  overlook  the  prison-house,  and  leave  us 
there  forgotten.  "  He  that  keepeth  Israel  shall 
neither  slumber  nor  sleep."  So  cheer  thee,  my 
soul!  The  Lord  is  on  thy  side!  The  Miracle- 
worker  knows  His  time  and  "  the  dreariest  path, 
the  darkest  way,  shall  issue  out  in  heavenly  day." 


MAY    (Ike    EigKteentK 


139 


BLINDED  JUDGMENTS 

John  ix.  13-25. 

ERE  is  a  ceremonialism  which  is 
blind  to  the  humane.  Its  scrupu- 
lous ritualisms  have  dried  up  its 
philanthropy.  It  thinks  more  of 
etiquette  than  equity.  It  esteems 
genuflexions  more  than  generosity.  It  values 
the  husk  more  than  the  kernel.  It  is  Sabbatarian 
but  not  humanitarian.  My  God,  deliver  me  from 
all  pious  conventionalities  which  make  me  indif- 
ferent to  the  ailments  and  cries  of  my  fellowmen ! 
And  here  is  a  dense  prejudice  which  is  blind  to 
the  evident.  "  They  did  not  believe  that  he  had 
been  blind."  A  prejudice  can  deflect  the  judg- 
ment, as  subtle  magnetic  currents  can  deflect  the 
needle.  The  film  of  an  ecclesiastical  prejudice 
can  be  so  opaque  as  to  make  us  "  blind  to  facts." 
We  do  not  "  see  things  as  they  are."  Our  per- 
verted eyes  give  us  a  crooked  world. 

And  here  is  a  bitter  violence  which  is  blind 
to  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  "  We  know  that  this 
man  is  a  sinner!  "  And  so  it  comes  to  that.  Our 
judgments  can  become  so  warped  that  when  we 
look  upon  Him,  "  who  is  the  chief  among  ten 
thousand  and  the  altogether  lovely,"  "  there  is 
no  beauty  that  we  should  desire  Him  " !  And 
therefore  let  this  be  my  daily  prayer,  "  Lord, 
that  I  might  receive  my  sight ! " 


MAY    ni\e    Nineteentli 


THE  ROCK  OF  EXPERIENCE 
John  ix.  26-41. 

HE  Lord  gains  a  witness,  and  a  stal- 
wart witness  too !  First,  he  stood 
upon  his  own  inalienable  experience. 
"  One  thing  I  know,  that  whereas  I 
was  blind,  now  I  see."  Second,  he 
drew  his  own  firm  inferences  from  the  benefi- 
cence of  the  work.  And,  in  the  third  place,  he 
reached  his  grand  conclusion.  "  If  this  man  were 
not  of  God,  He  coidd  do  nothing."  A  grand 
testimony,  and  given  by  one  who  "  dared  to 
stand  alone !  " 

And  the  witness  gained  a  Friend.  "  Jesus 
heard  that  they  had  cast  him  out,  and  when  He 
had  found  him ..."  Our  Lord  is  always 
seeking  the  outcasts.  He  never  abandons  the 
abandoned.  When  the  faithful  witness  is  driven 
into  the  wilderness  he  finds  "  a  table  spread  " 
before  him  "  in  the  presence  of  his  enemies." 
The  man  who  had  recovered  his  sight  was  cast 
out,  but  on  the  threshold  he  met  his  Lord ! 

And  further  sight  was  given.  By  the  first 
sight  he  could  see  his  parents,  by  the  second 
sight  he  saw  the  Son  of  God.  The  film  was  first 
removed  from  his  eyes,  and  then  from  his  soul, 
and  he  saw  "  the  glory  of  the  Lord."  "  And  he 
said,  Lord,  I  believe.    And  he  worshipped  Him." 


MAY   Qlie    TwentietK 


141 


THE  LONE   CRY   IN   THE   BIG   CROWD 

Mark  x.  46-52. 

UR  Lord  hears  the  cry  of  need  even 
when  it  rises  from  the  midst  of  the 
tumultuous  crowd.  A  mother  can 
hear  the  faint  cry  of  her  child  in  the 
chamber  above,  even  when  the  room 
resounds  with  the  talk  and  laughter  of  her 
guests.  And  our  Lord  heard  the  wail  of  poor 
Bartimaeus !  That  lone,  sorrowful  cry  pierced 
the  clamour,  "  and  Jesus  stood  still."  My  soul, 
cry  to  Him !  "  Jesus  of  Nazareth  passeth  by." 
And  Bartimseus  knew  what  he  wanted.  He 
merged  all  his  petitions  in  one.  "  Lord,  that  I 
might  receive  my  sight ! "  And  let  me,  too, 
come  to  my  Saviour  with  some  great,  dominant, 
all-commanding  request.  I  trifle  with  my  Master. 
I  ask  Him  for  toys,  for  petty  things,  while  all 
the  time  He  is  waiting  to  give  me  "  unsearchable 
wealth,"  "  sight,  riches,  healing  of  the  mind." 
"  The  Lord  is  great " ;  and  shall  I  add,  "  and 
greatly  to  be  prayed!" 

And  how  delicately  gracious  it  is  that  our 
Lord  should  attribute  the  miracle  to  Bartimseus 
himself.  "Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole!" 
As  though  the  Lord  had  had  no  share  in  the 
ministry!  He  makes  so  much  of  our  faith,  and 
our  endeavour,  and  our  obedience.  "If  ye  had 
faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard-seed !  "  That's  all 
He  wants,  and  miracles  are  accomplished. 


MAY  niie    Twenty-first 


HUMAN  FRAILTIES 
Isaiah  xlii.  1-7. 

HAT  a  winsome  revelation  of  the 
delicate  gentleness  of  the  Lord ! 
"  The  bruised  reed  " — is  it  the  im- 
paired musical  reed,  that  cannot  now 
emit  a  musical  sound,  and  can  only 
be  thrown  away?  He  will  not  snap  it  and  cast 
it  to  the  void.  The  discordant  life  can  be  made 
tuneful  again :  He  will  put  "  a  new  song  in  my 
mouth." 

"  And  the  smoking  flax  " — the  life  that  has 
lost  its  fire,  and  therefore  its  light,  its  enthusiasm, 
and  therefore  its  ideals ;  the  life  that  is  smoul- 
dering into  the  cold  ashes  of  moral  and  spiritual 
death !  He  will  not  stamp  it  out  with  His  foot. 
The  smouldering  fire  can  be  rekindled,  a  spent 
enthusiasm  can  be  revived.  "  He  shall  baptize 
you  .   .  .  with  fire !  " 

And  so  He  comes  to  minister  to  the  infirm. 
He  comes  to  restore  injured  faculty;  "to  open 
blind  eyes."  He  comes  to  give  vision  to  restored 
sight :  "  to  he  a  light  of  the  Gentiles."  And  He 
comes  to  endow  the  restored  life  with  a  rich  and 
gracious  freedom :  "  to  bring  out  the  prisoners 
from  the  prison."  Sight,  and  light,  and  freedom ! 
And  my  Lord  is  at  the  gate,  and  these  gifts  are 
in  His  hand. 


MAT    nixe    Twen'ry-seccnd 


143 


THE  LIGHT  AS  DARKNESS 

Matthew  xiii.  10-17. 

HE  condition  of  the  heart  determines 
the  quality  of  my  discernment.  If 
"  the  heart  is  waxed  gross,"  the  ears 
will  be  "  dull  of  hearing,"  and  the 
eyes  will  be  "  closed."  My  spiritual 
senses  gain  their  acuteness  or  obtuseness  from 
my  affections.  If  my  love  is  muddy  my  sight  will 
be  dim.  If  my  love  be  "  clear  as  crystal  "  the 
spiritual  realm  will  be  like  a  gloriously  trans- 
parent air. 

And  the  awful  nemesis  of  sin-created  blindness 
is  this,  that  it  interprets  itself  as  sight.  "  The 
light  that  is  in  thee  is  darkness."  We  think  we 
see,  and  all  the  time  we  are  the  children  of  the 
night.  We  think  it  is  "  the  dawn  of  God's  sweet 
morning,"  and  behold !  it  is  the  perverse  flare 
of  the  evil  one.  He  has  given  us  a  will-o'-the- 
wisp,  and  we  boastfully  proclaim  it  to  be  "  the 
morning  star." 

But  there  is  hope  for  any  man,  however  blind 
he  be,  who  will  humbly  lay  himself  at  Jesus'  feet. 
Let  this  be  my  prayer,  O  Lord,  "  Cleanse  Thou 
me  from  secret  faults."  Deliver  me  from  self- 
deception,  save  me  from  confusing  the  fixed  light 
of  heaven  with  the  wandering  beacon-lights  of 
hell.  And  again  and  again  will  I  pray,  "  Lord, 
that  I  might  receive  my  sight !  " 


144 


MAY    ni\e    Twenty-tKird 


WIND  AND  FIRE 

Acts  ii.  1-21. 

HE  Holy  Spirit  will  minister  to  me 
as  a  wind.  He  will  create  an  at- 
mosphere in  my  life  which  will 
quicken  all  sweet  and  beautiful 
growth.  And  this  shall  be  my  native 
air.  Gracious  seeds,  which  have  never  awaked, 
shall  now  unfold  themselves,  and  "  the  desert 
shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose."  It  was 
a  saying  of  Huxley,  that  if  our  little  island  were 
to  be  invaded  by  tropical  airs,  tropical  seeds 
which  are  now  lying  dormant  in  English  gardens 
and  fields  would  troop  out  of  their  graves  in 
bewildering  wealth  and  beauty !  "  Breathe  on 
me,  breath  of  God !  " 

And  the  Holy  Spirit  will  minister  to  me  as  a 
fire.  And  fire  is  our  supreme  minister  of  cleans- 
ing. Fire  can  purify  when  water  is  impotent. 
The  great  fire  burnt  out  the  great  plague.  There 
are  evil  germs  which  cannot  be  dealt  with  except 
by  the  searching  ministry  of  the  flame.  "  He 
shall  baptize  you  .  .  .  with  fire."  He  will 
create  a  holy  enthusiasm  in  my  soul,  an  intense 
and  sacred  love,  which  will  burn  up  all  evil 
intruders,  but  in  which  all  beautiful  things  shall 
walk  unhurt. 

"  Kindle  a  flame  of  sacred  love 
On  these  cold  hearts  of  ours." 


MAY    niie    Twentry-fourtK 


H5 


CALVARY  AND  PENTECOST 

Acts  ii.  22-36. 

I  HE  Apostle  Peter  traces  the  stream 
of  Pentecostal  blessing  to  a  tomb. 
This  "  river  of  water  of  life  ''  has  its 
"  rise  "  in  a  death  of  transcendent 
sacrifice.  And  I  must  never  forget 
these  dark  beginnings  of  my  eternal  hope.  It 
is  well  that  I  should  frequently  visit  the  sources 
of  my  blessedness,  and  kneel  on  "  the  green  hill 
far  away." 

It  will  save  me  from  having  a  cheap  religion. 
I  shall  never  handle  the  gifts  of  grace  as  though 
they  had  cost  nothing.  There  will  always  be 
the  marks  of  blood  upon  them,  the  crimson  stain 
of  incomparable  sacrifice. 

And  it  will  save  me  from  all  flippancy  in  my 
religious  life.  When  I  visit  the  cross  and  the 
tomb,  life  is  transformed  from  a  picnic  into  a 
crusade.  For  that  is  ever  my  peril,  to  picnic  on 
the  banks  of  the  river  and  to  spend  my  days  in 
emotional  loitering. 

After  all,  my  Pentecost  is  purposed  to  prepare 
me  for  my  own  Gethsemane  and  Calvary !  Life 
is  given  me  in  order  that  I  may  spend  it  again 
in  ready  and  fruitful  sacrifice. 


Twenty-jiftK 


VISIONS    'AND    DREAMS 
Joel  ii.  21-32. 
ND  this  old-world  promise  is  good 
for    me    to-day.      It    is    like    some 
weather-stained  well,  whose  waters 
have  continued   flowing  throughout 
the  generations,  right  down  to  my 
own  time.    Let  me  drink ! 

Holy  inspiration  will  give  me  insight  into  the 
mind  of  my  God.  "  Your  sons  and  your  daugh- 
ters shall  prophesy."  The  breath  of  God  creates 
an  atmosphere  in  which  spiritual  realities  are 
clearly  seen.  It  is  like  the  Sabbath  air  in  some 
busy  city,  when  the  fumes  and  smoke  of  com- 
merce have  been  blown  away.  "  Thou  shalt  be- 
hold the  land  that  is  very  far  off." 

And  so  in  my  younger  days  holy  inspiration 
will  give  me  visions.  "  Your  young  men  shall 
see  visions."  I  shall  be  an  idealist,  and  I  shall 
see  things  as  they  exist  in  God's  idea,  even 
though  at  present  they  be  maimed  and  imperfect. 
I  shall  see  them  "  according  to  the  pattern  on  the 
Mount." 

And  in  my  later  days  holy  inspiration  will 
give  me  dreams.  "  Your  old  men  shall  dream 
dreams."  And  what  shall  they  dream  about? 
Not  like  the  Chinese,  of  a  golden  age  in  a  distant 
past,  but  of  a  golden  age  to  be.  Their  dreams 
shall  have  a  "  forward-looking  eye."  They  shall 
see  "  the  new  Jerusalem  coming  down  out  of 
heaven  from  God." 


MAY  ^e 


THE  UNITING  OF  SUNDERED  PEOPLES 

"  On  the  Gentiles  also  was  poured  out  the  gift 
of  the  Holy  Ghost." — Acts  x.  34-48. 

II ND  this  is  ever  the  issue  of  a  true 
outpouring  of  the  Spirit :  sundered 
])eoples  become  one.  At  "  low  tide  " 
there  are  multitudes  of  separated 
pools  along  the  shore  :  at  "  high  tide" 
they  flow  together,  and  the  little  distinctions  are 
lost  in  a  splendid  union. 

It  is  so  racially.  "  Jew  and  Gentile !  "  Peter 
and  Cornelius  lose  their  prejudices  in  the  eman- 
cipating ministry  of  the  Spirit.  And  so  shall  it 
be  with  English  and  Irish,  with  French  and  Ger- 
man, with  Asiatic  and  European :  they  shall  be 
"  all  one  "  in  Christ. 

It  is  so  socially.  "  Bond  and  free !  "  The 
master  and  the  servant  shall  discover  a  glorious 
intimacy  and  union.  And  so  shall  rich  and  poor, 
the  learned  and  the  illiterate,  the  many-talented 
and  the  obscure.  The  pools  shall  flow  together. 
It  is  so  ecclesiastically.  Our  sectarianisms  are 
always  most  frowning  and  obtrusive  when  spirit- 
ually we  are  at  "  low  tide."  When  the  tide  rises, 
it  is  amazing  how  the  ramparts  are  submerged. 
It  is  not  round-table  conferences  that  we  need, 
but  seasons  of  communion  when  together  we 
shall  await  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 


Twenty-seventK 


RECEIVING    THE    HOLY    GHOST 
Acts  ii.  Z7-A7- 
HE  sacred  process  by  which  the  Holy 


the 


same 


Spirit     is     received     is 
throughout  all  the  years. 

First  there  is  repentance.  And 
repentance  is  not  a  flow  of  emotion, 
but  a  certain  direction  of  mind.  I  may  repent 
with  dry  eyes.  It  is  not  a  matter  of  feeling,  but 
of  willing.  It  is  to  lay  hold  of  the  aimless,  drift- 
ing thought,  and  steer  it  toward  God!  It  is  a 
change  of  mind. 

Second,  there  is  a  definite  and  avowed  choice 
of  my  new  Goal,  my  new  Lord  and  King.  The 
Christian  life  cannot  be  a  subterfuge.  It  cannot 
be  lived  incognito.  I  cannot  be  the  Christ's  and 
wear  the  livery  of  an  alien  power.  There  must 
be  confession,  a  bold  and  clarion-like  avowal  that 
henceforth  I  am  a  soldier  of  the  Lord. 

And  the  spiritual  experiences  will  be  sure,  as 
sure  as  the  law-governed  processes  of  the  mate- 
rial world.  There  will  be  "  remission  of  sins." 
The  old  guilt  will  fall  away  from  my  soul  as  the 
chains  fell  from  Peter's  limbs  when  the  angel 
touched  them.  And  there  will  be  "  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.''  A  new  dynamic  is  mine !  I  enter 
into  fellowship  with  the  power  of  the  ascended 
Lord. 


MAT  niie  Twenty-eigKtK 


149 


THE    SONS   OF    GOD 

"  For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God 
they  ore  the  sons  of  God." — Romans  viii.  9-17. 
jND  how  unspeakably  wealthy  are  the 
implications  of  the  great  word  ! 

If  a  son,  then  what  holy  freedom 
is  mine !  Mine  is  not  "  the  spirit  of 
bondage."  The  son  has  "  the  run 
of  the  house."  That  is  the  great  contrast  between 
lodgings  and  home.  And  I  am  to  be  at  home 
with  the  Lord. 

And  if  a  son,  then  heir !  "  All  things  are 
yours."  Samuel  Rutherford  used  to  counsel  his 
friends  to  "  take  a  turn "  round  their  estate. 
And  truly  it  is  an  inspiring  exercise !  The 
Spirit  shall  lead  me  over  my  estate,  and  I  will 
survey,  with  the  sense  of  ownership,  "  the  things 
which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love 
Him." 

I  wonder  if  I  have  the  manner  of  a  king's  son  ? 
I  wonder  if  there  is  anything  in  my  very  "  walk  " 
which  indicates  distinguished  lineage  and  royal 
blood?  Or  am  I  like  a  vagrant  who  has  no 
possessions  and  no  heartening  expectations? 
"  Lord,  I  would  serve,  and  be  a  son !  " 


I50 


MAY    ni\e    Twenty-nintK 


MANY    GIFTS— ONE    SPIRIT 
I  Corinthians  xii.  1-13. 

HERE  is  no  monotony  in  the  work- 
manship of  my  God.  The  multitude 
of  His  thoughts  is  like  the  sound  of 
the  sea,  and  every  thought  com- 
mands a  new  creation.  When  He 
thinks  upon  me,  the  result  is  a  creative  touch 
never  again  to  be  repeated  on  land  or  sea.  And 
so,  when  the  Holy  Spirit  is  given  to  the  people, 
the  ministry  does  not  work  in  the  suppression  of 
individualities,  but  rather  in  their  refinement 
and  enrichment. 

Our  gifts  will  be  manifold,  and  we  must  not 
allow  the  difference  to  breed  a  spirit  of  suspicion. 
Because  my  brother's  gift  is  not  mine  I  must 
not  suspect  his  calling.  To  one  man  is  given  a 
trumpet,  to  another  a  lamp,  and  to  another  a 
spade.  And  they  are  all  the  holy  gifts  of  grace. 
And  thus  the  gifts  are  manifold  in  order  that 
every  man  may  find  his  completeness  in  his 
brother.  One  man  is  like  an  eye — he  is  a  seer  of 
visions !  Another  man  is  like  a  hand — he  has 
the  genius  of  practicality !  He  is  "  a  handy 
man  " !  One  is  the  architect,  the  other  is  the 
builder.  And  each  requires  the  other,  if  either 
is  to  be  perfected.  And  so,  by  God's  gracious 
Spirit,  the  individual  man  is  only  a  bit,  a  portion, 
and  he  is  intended  to  fit  into  the  other  bits,  and 
so  make  the  complete  man  of  the  race. 


MAT    (lUe    TKirtietK 


151 


FINDING  THE  DEEP  THINGS 
"  The  Spirit  searcheth  all  things,  yea,  the  deep 
things  of  God." — i  Corinthians  ii.  7-12. 

HE  deep  things  of  God  cannot  be 
discovered  by  unaided  reason.  "  Eye 
hath  not  seen":  they  are  not  to  be 
apprehended  by  the  artistic  vision. 
"  Ear  hath  not  heard  "  :  they  are  not 
unveiled  amid  the  discussion  of  the  philosophic 
schools.  "  Neither  hath  entered  into  the  heart  of 
man  " :  even  poetic  insight  cannot  discern  them. 
All  the  common  lights  fail  in  this  realm.  We 
need  another  illumination,  even  that  provided  by 
the  Holy  Spirit.  And  the  Spirit  is  ofifered  unto 
us  "  that  we  might  knov^  the  things  that  are 
freely  given  to  us  of  God." 

And  here  we  have  the  reason  why  so  many  un- 
cultured people  are  spiritually  wiser  than  many 
who  are  learned.  They  lack  talent,  but  they  have 
grace.  They  lack  accomplishments,  but  they  have 
the  Holy  Ghost.  They  lack  the  telescope,  but 
they  have  the  sunlight.  They  are  not  scholars, 
but  they  are  saints.  They  may  not  be  theolo- 
gians, but  they  have  true  religion.  And  so  they 
have  "  the  open  vision."  They  "  walk  with  God," 
and  "  the  deep  things  of  God  "  are  made  known 
to  their  souls. 

We  must  put  first  things  first.  We  may  be 
busy  polishing  our  lenses  when  our  primary  and 
fundamental  need  is  light.  It  is  not  a  gift  that 
we  require,  but  a  Friend. 


152 


MAY    nite    TKirty-flrst 


CONNECTION  AND  CONCORD 
"By  one  Spirit  are  we  all  baptized  into  one 
body." — I  Corinthians  xii.  12-19. 

T  is  only  in  the  spirit  that  real  union  is 
born.  Every  other  kind  of  union  is 
artificial,  and  mechanical,  and  dead. 
We  can  dovetail  many  pieces  of 
wood  together  and  make  the  unity 
of  an  article  of  furniture,  but  we  cannot  dove- 
tail items  together  and  make  a  tree.  And  it  is 
the  union  of  a  tree  that  we  require,  a  union  born 
of  indwelling  life.  We  may  join  many  people 
together  in  a  fellowship  by  the  bonds  of  a  formal 
creed,  but  the  result  is  only  a  piece  of  social  fur- 
niture, it  is  not  a  vital  communion.  There  is  a 
vast  difference  between  a  connection  and  a 
concord. 

Many  members  of  a  family  may  bear  the  same 
name,  may  share  the  same  blood,  may  sit  and  eat 
at  the  same  table,  and  yet  may  have  no  more  vital 
union  than  a  handful  of  marbles  in  a  boy's 
pocket.  But  let  the  spirit  of  a  common  love 
dwell  in  all  their  hearts  and  there  is  a  family 
bound  together  in  glorious  union. 

And  so  it  is  in  the  spirit,  and  there  alone,  that 
vital  union  is  to  be  found.  And  here  is  the 
secret  of  such  spiritual  union.  "  By  one  Spirit 
are  we  all  baptized  into  one  body."  The  Spirit 
of  God,  dwelling  in  all  our  spirits,  attunes  them 
into  glorious  harmony.  Our  lives  blend  with 
one  another  in  the  very  music  of  the  spheres. 


JUNE    OKe    First 


THE  BEAUTY  OF  VARIETY 

I  Corinthians  xii.  20-31. 

OD'S  glory  is  expressed  through  the 
harmony  of  variety.  We  do  not  need 
sameness  in  order  to  gain  union.  I 
am  now  looking  upon  a  scene  of  sur- 
passing loveliness.  There  are  moun- 
tains, and  sea,  and  grassland,  and  trees,  and  a 
wide-stretching  sky,  and  white  pebbles  at  my 
feet.  And  a  white  bird  has  just  flown  across  a 
little  bank  of  dark  cloud.  What  variety !  And 
when  I  look  closer  the  variety  is  infinitely  multi- 
plied. Everything  blends  into  everything  else. 
Nothing  is  out  of  place.  Everything  contributes 
to  finished  power  and  loveliness.  And  so  it  is  in 
the  grander  sphere  of  human  life.  The  glory  of 
humanity  is  born  of  the  glory  of  individuals,  each 
one  making  his  own  distinctive  contribution. 

And  thus  we  have  need  of  one  another.  Every 
note  in  the  organ  is  needed  for  the  full  expression 
of  noble  harmony.  Every  instrument  in  the  or- 
chestra is  required  unless  the  music  is  to  be  lame 
and  broken.  God  has  endowed  no  two  souls 
alike,  and  every  soul  is  needed  to  make  the 
music  of  "  the  realm  of  the  blest." 


OUR  SPIRITUAL  GUIDE 

"  When  He,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come.  He 
will  guide  you  into  all  truth." — John  xvi.  7-14- 

OW  great  is  the  difference  between 
a  guide-post  and  a  guide !  And  what 
a  difference  between  a  guide-book 
and  a  companion!  Mere  instruc- 
tions may  be  very  uninspiring,  and 
bare  commandments  may  be  very  cold.  Our 
Guide  is  an  inseparable  Friend. 

And  how  will  He  guide  us?  He  will  give  us 
insight.  "  He  will  guide  you  into  all  truth." 
He  will  refine  our  spirits  so  that  we  may 
be  able  to  distinguish  "  things  that  differ," 
and  that  so  we  may  know  the  difference  between 
"  the  holy  and  the  profane."  Our  moral  judg- 
ment is  often  dull  and  imperceptive.  And  our 
spiritual  judgment  is  often  lacking  in  vigour  and 
penetration.  And  so  our  great  Spirit-guide  puts 
our  spirits  to  school,  and  more  deeply  sanctifies 
them,  that  in  holiness  we  may  have  discernment. 
And  He  will  also  give  us  foresight.  He  will 
enable  us  to  interpret  circumstances,  to  appre- 
hend their  drift  and  destiny.  We  shall  see  har- 
vests while  we  are  looking  at  seeds,  whether  the 
seeds  be  seeds  of  good  or  evil.  All  of  which 
means  that  the  Holy  Spirit  will  deliver  our  lives 
from  the  governance  of  mere  whim  and  caprice, 
and  that  He  will  make  us  wise  with  the  wisdom 
of  God. 


THE  SAFETY  OF  THE  OCCUPIED  HEART 
Galatians'v.  16-25. 
wo  friends  were  cycling'  through 
Worcestershire  and  Warwickshire 
to  Birmingham.  When  they  arrived 
in  Birmingham  I  asked  them,  among 
other  things,  if  they  had  seen  War- 
wick Gaol  along  the  road.  "  No,"  they  said,  "we 
hadn't  a  glimpse  of  it."  "  But  it  is  only  a  field's 
length  from  the  road !  "  "  W^ell,  we  never  saw 
it."  Ah,  but  these  two  friends  were  lovers. 
They  were  so  absorbed  in  each  other  that  they 
had  no  spare  attention  for  Warwick  Gaol.  Their 
glorious  fellowship  made  them  unresponsive  to 
its  calls.     They  were  otherwise  engaged. 

"  Walk  in  the  Spirit,  and  ye  shall  not  fulfil  the 
lusts  of  the  flesh."  That  great  Companionship 
will  make  us  negligent  of  carnal  allurements. 
"  The  world,  and  the  flesh,  and  the  devil  "  may 
stand  by  the  wayside,  and  hold  their  glittering 
wares  before  us,  but  we  shall  scarcely  be  aware 
of  their  presence.  We  are  otherwise  engaged. 
We  are  absorbed  in  the  "  Lover  of  our  souls." 

This  is  the  only  real  and  effective  way  to  meet 
temptation.  We  must  meet  it  with  an  occupied 
heart.  We  must  have  no  loose  and  trailing 
affections.  We  must  have  no  vagrant,  wayward 
thoughts.  Temptation  must  find  us  engaged 
with  our  Lover,  We  must  "  offer  no  occasion  to 
the  flesh."  Walking  with  the  Holy  One,  our 
elevation  is  our  safety. 


156 


JUME   m^e    FourtK 


LIFE'S  REAL  VALUES 
Proverbs  viii.  10-19. 

ERE  is  a  man  who  knows  the  rela- 
tive values  of  things.  "  Instruction 
is  better  than  silver  "  ;  "  knowledge 
rather  than  choice  gold  "  ;  "  wisdom 
is  better  than  rubies."  He  weighs 
the  inherent  worth  of  things,  and  puts  his  choice 
upon  the  best. 

Let  me  remember  that  "  all  is  not  gold  that 
glitters."  The  leaden  casket  is  often  the  shrine 
of  the  priceless  scroll.  The  glaring  and  the 
theatrical  have  often  a  ragged  and  seamy  in- 
terior, and  won't  bear  "  looking  into."  A  man 
may  have  much  display  and  be  very  lonely ;  he 
may  have  piles  of  wealth  and  be  destitute  of  joy. 
His  libraries  may  cover  an  acre,  and  yet  he  may 
have  no  light.  And  a  man  may  have  only  "  a 
candle,  and  a  table,  and  a  bed,"  and  he  may  be 
the  companion  of  the  eternal  God. 

I  would  seek  these  priceless  things.  And  I 
would  "  seek  them  early."  I  have  so  often  been 
late  in  the  search.  I  have  given  the  early  mo- 
ments to  seeking  the  world's  silver  and  gold,  and 
the  later  weary  moments  have  been  idly  devoted 
to  God.  "  They  that  seek  Me  early  shall  find 
Me."  Let  me  put  "  first  things  first."  "  Seek 
ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  right- 
eousness." 


JUME  OTte  Fifth 


THE  SPEECH  OF  EVENTS 

Acts  xiii.  14-23. 

O  I  sufficiently  remember  the  witness 
of  history?  Do  I  reverently  listen 
to  the  "  great  voice  behind  me  "  ? 
God  has  spoken  in  the  speech  of 
events.  "  Day  unto  day  "  has  uttered 
speech.  There  has  been  a  witness  in  national  life, 
sometimes  quiet  as  a  fragrance,  and  sometimes 
"  loud  as  a  vale  when  storms  are  gone."  Is  it 
all  to  me  as  though  it  had  never  been,  or  is  it 
part  of  the  store  of  counsel  by  which  I  shape 
and  guide  my  life? 

And  do  I  sufficiently  remember  my  own  provi- 
dences, "  all  the  way  my  God  has  led  me "  ? 
When  a  day  is  over,  do  I  carry  its  helpful  lamp 
into  the  morrow  ?  Do  I  "  learn  wisdom  "  from 
experience  ?  That  is  surely  God's  purpose  in  the 
days ;  one  is  to  lead  on  to  another  in  the  creation 
of  an  ever  brightening  radiance,  that  so  at  even- 
tide it  may  be  light. 

And  do  I  sufficiently  remember  that  I,  too,  am 
making  history  for  my  fellows  who  shall  suc- 
ceed me?  What  kind  of  a  witness  will  it  be? 
Grim  and  full  of  warning,  like  the  pillar  of  salf, 
or  winsome  and  full  of  heartiness,  like  some 
"  sweet  Ebenezer  "  built  by  life's  way?  Let  me 
pray  and  labour  that  my  days  may  so  shine  with 
grace  that  all  who  remember  me  shall  adore  the 
goodness  of  my  Lord. 


JUME  m^e   SixtK 


LOVE'S  EXPENDITURES 
I  John  iii.  11-18. 
EREBY  perceive  we  the  love  of  God, 
because  He  laid  down  His  life  for 
us. "  And  the  real  test  of  any  love 
is  what  it  is  prepared  to  "  lay  down." 
How  much  is  it  ready  to  spend? 
How  much  will  it  bleed?  There  is  much  spu- 
rious love  about.  It  lays  nothing  down ;  it  only 
takes  things  up !  It  is  self-seeking,  using  the 
speech  and  accents  of  love.  It  is  a  "  work  of 
the  flesh,"  which  has  stolen  the  label  of  a  "  fruit 
of  the  Spirit."  Love  may  always  be  known  by 
its  expenditures,  its  self-crucifixions,  its  Cal- 
varys.  Love  is  always  laying  down  its  life  for 
others.  Its  pathway  is  always  a  red  road.  You 
may  track  its  goings  by  the  red  "  marks  of  the 
Lord  Jesus." 

And  this  is  the  life,  the  love-life,  which  the 
Lord  Jesus  came  to  create  among  the  children 
of  men.  It  is  His  gracious  purpose  to  form  a 
spiritual  fellowship  in  which  every  member  will 
be  lovingly  concerned  about  his  fellows'  good. 
A  real  family  of  God  would  be  one  in  which  all 
the  members  bleed  for  each,  and  each  for  all. 

How  can  we  gain  this  disposition  of  love? 
"  God  is  love."  "  We  love  because  He  first 
loved  us."  At  the  fountain  of  eternal  love  we 
too  may  become  lovers,  becoming  "  partakers  of 
the  divine  nature,"  and  filled  with  all  "  the  ful- 
ness of  God." 


JUNE    (Ike 


MORAL  SURGERY 
Galatians  vi.  1-8. 
HIS  is  a  surgical  operation  in  the 
realm  of  the  soul.  A  man  has  been 
"  overtaken  in  a  fault,"  some  evil 
passion  has  pounced  upon  him,  and 
he  is  broken.  Some  holy  relation- 
ship has  been  snapped,  and  he  is  crippled  in  his 
moral  and  spiritual  goings.  Perhaps  his  affec- 
tions have  been  broken,  or  his  conscience,  or  his 
will.  Or  perhaps  he  has  lost  his  glorious  hope 
or  the  confidence  of  his  faith.  Here  he  is,  a 
broken  man,  the  victim  of  his  own  broken  vows, 
lame  and  halt  in  the  pilgrim-way !  And  some 
surgeon  is  needed  to  re-set  the  dislocation,  and 
to  make  him  whole  again. 

And  who  is  to  be  the  surgeon  ?  ''  Ye  which 
are  spiritual  restore  such  a  one."  The  men  who 
live  under  the  control  of  God's  Spirit  are  to  be 
the  surgeons  for  broken  hearts  and  souls.  When 
a  man  has  fallen  by  reason  of  sin,  the  Christian 
is  to  be  a  Good  Samaritan,  seeking  to  restore  the 
cripple  to  health  and  strength  again.  We  are 
to  kneel  and  minister  to  him,  binding  up  his 
wounds,  giving  him  the  balm  and  cordial  of  oil 
and  wine. 

And  what  is  to  be  the  spirit  of  the  surgeon? 
"  The  spirit  of  meekness.'"  We  are  not  to  be 
supercilious,  for  the  "  touch  "  of  pride  is  never 
the  minister  of  healing.  We  are  to  heal  as 
though  some  day  we  may  need  to  be  healed. 


JUNE  OK. 


THE  NEW  BIRTH 
John  iii.  1-21. 

I  ERE  is  the  Life  in  contact  with  the 
icy  legalism  of  the  day.  Nicodemus 
was  a  Pharisee,  and  his  piety  was 
cold  and  mechanical.  Religion  had 
become  a  bloodless  obedience  to  life- 
less rules.  Men  cared  more  about  being  proper 
than  about  being  holy.  Modes  were  emphasized 
more  than  moods.  An  external  pose  was  es- 
teemed more  highly  than  an  internal  disposition. 
The  popular  Saint  lived  on  "  the  outsides  of 
things." 

Then  came  the  Life.  And  what  will  He  say  to 
the  externalist?  "Ye  must  be  born  again." 
Nothing  else  could  He  have  said.  If  the  me- 
chanical is  to  become  the  vital  there  is  nothing 
for  it  but  a  new  birth.  To  get  from  the  out- 
side into  the  inside  of  things,  from  the  letter  into 
the  spirit,  we  need  the  miracle  of  renewal,  the 
recreating  ministry  of  grace. 

And  so  it  is  to-day.  The  ritualistic  is  vitalized 
by  the  evangelistic.  If  the  mechanical  is  to  be- 
come the  spontaneous,  there  is  need  of  the  "  well 
of  living  water,  springing  up  unto  eternal  life." 
When  we  are  born  again,  ritual  becomes  helpful 
trellis  for  the  spiritual  flowers  ;  the  outward  form 
becomes  the  helpmeet  of  redeeming  grace. 


JUME    (JUe    KfintK 


i6i 


THE  STORY  OF  A  SORROWFUL  SOUL 

Psalm  iii. 

HIS  tearful  little  psalm  tells  me 
where  a  sorrowful  soul  found  a 
place  of  help  and  consolation.  He 
resorted  to  God. 

"  Thott  art  a  shield  about  me." 
He  got  the  Lord  between  him  and  his  circum- 
stances. There  is  nothing  else  subtle  enough  to 
interpose.  Our  hurtful  circumstances  are  so  in- 
vasive and  so  immediate  that  only  God  can  come 
between  us  and  them.  But  when  God  gets  in 
between  we  are  immune.  "  Though  an  host 
should  encamp  against  me,  my  heart  shall  not 
fear." 

"  Thou  art  my  glory."  And  that  is  an  honour 
that  need  never  be  stained.  My  worldly  glory 
can  be  besmirched.  An  evil  man  throws  mud, 
and  my  poor  reputation  is  gone.  "  There's  always 
somebody  ready  to  believe  it !  "  But  my  glory 
with  God,  and  in  God — man's  mud  cannot  touch 
that  fair  fame !  Even  Absalom  cannot  defile 
that  resplendent  robe. 

"  Thou  art  the  lifter-up  of  my  head.''  The 
flower  is  "  looking  up  "  again !  In  the  Lord's 
presence  we  recover  our  lost  spirits.  "  He  re- 
storeth  my  soul."  "  And  now  shall  mine  head  be 
lifted  up  above  mine  enemies  round  about  me." 


l62 


JUNE    ^l^e    TentK 


PILLARS  OF  CLOUD  AND  FIRE 

"  The  Lord  went  before  them  by  day  in  a 
pillar  of  cloud." — Exodus  xiii.  17 — xiv.  4. 

NEED  His  leadership  in  the  day- 
time. Sometimes  the  daylight  is  my 
foe.  It  tempts  me  into  carelessness. 
I  become  the  victim  of  distraction. 
The  "  garish  day "  can  entice  me 
into  ways  of  trespass,  and  I  am  robbed  of  my 
spiritual  health.  Many  a  man  has  been  faithful 
in  the  twilight  and  night  who  has  lost  himself 
in  the  sunshine.  He  went  astray  in  his  pros- 
perity :  success  was  his  ruin.  And  so  in  the  day- 
time I  need  the  shadow  of  God's  presence,  the 
cooling,  subduing,  calming  influence  of  a  friendly 
cloud. 

"And  by  night  in  a  pillar  of  fire."  And  I 
need  God's  leadership  in  the  night.  Sometimes 
the  night  fills  me  with  fears,  and  I  am  confused. 
The  darkness  chills  me,  sorrow  and  adversity 
make  me  cold,  and  I  shiver  along  in  uncertain 
going.  But  my  God  will  lead  me  as  a  presence  of 
fire.  He  will  keep  my  heart  warm  even  in  the 
midnight,  and  He  will  guide  me  by  the  kindlings 
of  His  love.  There  shall  be  "  nothing  hid  from 
the  heat  thereof."  And  my  bewildering  fears 
shall  flee  away,  and  I  will  sing  "  songs  in  the 
night." 


JUME    niie     Eleventh 


163 


THE  PATH  ACROSS  THE  SEA 

"  Thy  ivay  is  in  the  sea." — Psalm  Ixxvii.  11-20. 

ND  the  sea  appears  to  be  the  most 
trackless  of  worlds !  The  sea  is 
the  very  symbol  of  mystery, 
the  grim  dwelling-house  of  in- 
numerable things  that  have  been 
God's  way  moves  here  and  there 
trackless  wild.  God  is  never  lost 
mysteries.       He    knows    his    way 


lost.  But 
across  this 
amons:    our 


about.  When  we  are  bewildered  He  sees  the 
road,  and  He  sees  the  end  even  from  the  begin- 
ning. Even  the  sea,  in  every  part  of  it,  is  the 
Lord's  highway.  When  His  way  is  in  the  sea  we 
cannot  trace  it.  Mystery  is  part  of  our  ap- 
pointed discipline.  Uncertainty  is  to  prepare 
us  for  a  deeper  assurance.  The  spirit  of  ques- 
tioning is  one  of  the  ordained  means  of  growth. 
And  so  the  bewildering  sea  is  our  friend,  as  some 
day  we  shall  understand.  We  love  to  "  lie  down 
in  green  pastures,"  and  to  be  led  "  beside  the 
still  waters,"  and  God  gives  us  our  share  of  this 
nourishing  rest.  But  We  need  the  mysterious 
sea,  the  overwhelming  experience,  the  floods  of 
sorrows  which  we  cannot  explain.  If  we  had  no 
sea  we  should  never  become  robust.  We  should 
remain  weaklings  to  the  end  of  our  days. 

God  takes  us  out  into  the  deeps.  But  His 
way  is  in  the  sea.  He  knows  the  haven,  He 
knows  the  track,  and  we  shall  arrive! 


164 


JUNE    OKe    Tv^elfth 


WAITING  FOR  THE  SPECTACULAR 

"  The  waves  covered  their  enemies.  .  .  .  Then 
believed  they  His  words." — Psalm  cvi.  1-12. 

*"  •  "^.^-^ilHEIR  faith  was  born  in  a  great 
emergency.  A  spectacular  deliver- 
ance was  needed  to  implant  their 
trust  in  the  Lord.  They  found  no 
witness  in  the  quiet  daily  provi- 
dence ;  the  unobtrusive  miracle  of  daily  mercy 
did  not  awake  their  song.  They  dwelt  upon  the 
"  special  "  blessing,  when  all  the  time  the  really 
special  blessing  was  to  be  found  in  the  sleepless 
care  which  watched  over  them  in  their  ordinary 
and  commonplace  ways. 

It  is  the  old  story.  We  are  wanting  God  to 
appear  in  imperial  glory ;  and  He  comes  among 
us  as  a  humble  carpenter.  We  want  great 
miracles,  and  we  have  the  daily  Providence.  We 
see  His  dread  goings  in  the  earthquake ;  we  do 
not  feel  His  presence  in  the  lilies  of  the  field. 
We  watch  Him  in  the  smoke  and  flames  of  Ve- 
suvius ;  we  do  not  recognize  His  footprints  in 
the  little  turf-clad  hill  that  is  only  a  few  yards 
from  our  own  door. 

It  is  a  great  day  when  we  discover  our  God 
in  the  common  bush.  That  day  is  marked  with 
glory  when  our  daily  bread  becomes  a  sacra- 
ment. When  we  enjoy  a  closer  walk  with  God, 
common  things  will  wear  the  hues  of  heaven. 


JUNE    <lke    Thirteentk 


165 


CLOUDED  BUT  NOT  LOST! 

"  Clouds  and  darkness  are  round  about  Him." 
-Psalm  xcvii. 

HEN  Lincoln  had  been  assassinated, 
and  word  of  the  tragedy  came  to 
New  York,  "  the  people  were  in  a 
state  of  mind  which  urges  to  vio- 
lence." A  man  appeared  on  the  bal- 
cony of  one  of  the  newspaper  offices,  waving  a 
small  flag,  and  a  clear  voice  rang  through  the 
air  :  "  Fellow-citizens  !  Clouds  and  darkness  are 
round  about  Him !  His  pavilion  is  dark  waters, 
and  thick  clouds  of  the  skies!  Justice  and  judg- 
ment are  the  habitation  of  His  throne !  Fellow- 
citizens,  God  reigns ! "  It  was  the  voice  of 
General  Garfield. 

That  voice  proclaimed  the  divine  sovereignty, 
even  when  the  heavens  were  black  with  the 
menace  of  destruction.  Lincoln  had  been  assas- 
sinated, but  God  lived !  Human  confusion  does 
not  annihilate  His  throne.  God  liveth !  "  The 
firm  foundation  standeth  sure."  This  is  the  only 
rock  to  stand  upon  when  the  clouds  have  gath- 
ered, and  the  waters  are  out,  and  the  great  deeps 
are  broken  up.  God's  sceptre  does  not  fall  from 
His  grasp,  nor  is  snatched  by  alien  hands.  The 
throne  abideth.  Joy  will  rise  from  the  apparent 
chaos  as  springs  are  unsealed  by  the  earthquake. 
He  will  bring  fortune  out  of  misfortune ;  the 
darkness  shall  be  the  hiding-place  of  His  grace. 


i66 


JUME    niie    Fourteenth 


THE  LAW  IN  THE  HEART 
"I   will  put  My   laws   into   their  hearts." — 
Hebrews  x.   16-22. 

VERYTHING  depends  on  where  we 
carry  the  law  of  the  Lord.  If  it 
only  rests  in  the  memory,  any  va- 
grant care  may  snatch  it  away.  The 
business  of  the  day  may  wipe  it  out 
as  a  sponge  erases  a  record  from  a  slate.  A 
thought  is  never  secure  until  it  has  passed  from 
the  mind  into  the  heart,  and  has  become  a  de- 
sire, an  aspiration,  a  passion.  When  the  law 
of  God  is  taken  into  the  heart,  it  is  no  longer 
something  merely  remembered :  it  is  something 
loved.  Now  things  that  are  loved  have  a  strong 
defence.  They  are  in  the  "  keep  "  of  the  castle, 
in  the  innermost  custody  of  the  stronghold.  The 
strength  of  the  heart  is  wrapped  about  them,  and 
no  passing  vagrant  can  carry  them  away. 

And  this  is  where  the  good  Lord  is  willing 
to  put  His  laws.  He  is  wishful  to  put  them 
among  our  loves.  And  the  wonderful  thing  is 
this  :  when  laws  are  put  among  loves  they  change 
their  form,  and  His  statutes  become  our  songs. 
Laws  that  are  loved  are  no  longer  dreadful  po- 
licemen, but  compassionate  friends.  "  O !  how  I 
love  Thy  law !  "  That  man  did  not  live  in  a 
prison,  he  lived  in  a  garden,  and  God's  will  was 
unto  him  as  gracious  flowers  and  fruits.  And 
so  shall  it  be  unto  all  of  us  when  we  love  the 
law  of  the  Lord. 


THE  KING'S  GUESTS 
"  Who  shall  ascend  into  the  hill  of  the  Lord?  " 
-Psalm  xxiv. 

jHO  shall  be  permitted  to  pass  into 
the  sanctuary  of  the  cloud,  and  have 
communion  with  the  Lord  in  the 
holy  place?  "He  that  hath  clean 
hands."  These  hands  of  mine,  the 
symbols  of  conduct,  the  expression  of  the  outer 
Ufe,  what  are  they  like?  "Your  hands  are  full 
of  blood."  Those  hands  had  been  busy  murder- 
ing others,  pillaging  others,  brutally  ill-using 
their  fellow-men.  We  may  do  it  in  business. 
We  may  do  it  in  conversation.  We  may  do  it  in 
a  criminal  silence.  Our  hands  may  be  foul  with 
a  brother's  blood.  And  men  and  women  with 
hands  like  these  cannot  "  ascend  into  the  hill  of 
the  Lord."  There  must  be  no  stain  of  an  unfair 
and  scandalous  life. 

"  And  a  pure  heart."  We  need  not  trouble 
about  the  hands  if  the  heart  be  clean.  If  all  the 
presences  that  move  in  the  heart — desires,  and 
motives,  and  sentiments,  and  ideals — are  like 
white-robed  angels,  "  without  spot,  or  wrinkle, 
or  any  such  thing,"  everything  that  emerges  into 
outer  life  will  share  the  same  radiant  purity. 
The  heart  expresses  itself  in  the  hands.  Char- 
acter blossoms  in  conduct.  The  quality  of  our 
current  coin  is  determined  by  the  quality  of  the 
metal  in  the  mint.  "  As  a  man  thinketh  in  his 
heart,  so  is  he." 


i^d 


JUKfE    <lke    SixteentK 


SINAI  AND  CALVARY 

Hebrews  xii.  18-28. 

E  need  not  live  at  the  foot  of  Aloiint 
Sinai.  It  is  like  living  at  the  foot 
of  Amount  Pelee,  the  home  of 
awful  eruption,  and  therefore  the 
realm  of  gloom  and  uncertainty  and 
fear.  We  are  not  saved  by  law,  neither  indeed 
can  we  be.  Neither  can  law  heal  us  after  our 
transgressions  and  defeats.  The  law  has  nothing 
for  prodigal  men  but  "  blackness,  and  darkness, 
and  tempest."  It  has  no  sound  but  dreaded  de- 
cree, no  message  but  menace,  no  look  but  a 
frown.  Who  will  build  his  house  at  the  foot  of 
Mount   Sinai? 

"  But  ye  are  come  unto  Mount  Zion."  Our 
true  home  is  not  at  Sinai,  but  at  Calvary.  There 
is  no  place  for  the  sinner  at  the  first  mount ;  at 
the  second  mount  there  is  a  place  for  no  one  else. 
At  Calvary  we  may  find  our  way  back  to  the 
holiness  we  lost  at  Sinai.  Through  grace  we 
may  drop  the  burden  of  our  sin  and  begin  to 
wear  the  garments  of  salvation.  The  way  back 
to  heaven  is  by  "  the  green  hill,  without  a  city 
wall."  It  is  a  mount  that  can  be  reached  by  the 
most  exhausted  pilgrim ;  and  the  one  who  has 
"  spent  all  "  will  assuredly  find  a  full  restoration 
of  life  at  the  gate  of  his  Saviour's  death.  "  Ye 
are  come  to  Jesus,  the  mediator  of  the  new  cove- 
nant." 


JUME    m^e    SeventeentK 


169 


THE  INVISIBLE  PRESENCE 
Show  me  Thy  glory." — Exodus  xxxiii.  12-23. 
OSES  wist  not  what  he  asked.  His 
speech  was  beyond  his  knowledge. 
The  answer  to  his  request  would 
have  consumed  him.  He  asked  for 
the  blazing  noon  when  as  yet  he 
could  only  bear  the  quiet  shining  of  the  dawn. 
The  good  Lord  lets  in  the  light  as  our  eyes  are 
able  to  bear  it.  The  revelation  is  tempered  to 
our  growth.  The  pilgrim  could  bear  a  brightness 
in  Beulah  land  that  he  could  not  have  borne  at 
the  wicket-gate ;  and  the  brilliance  of  the  entry 
into  the  celebrated  city  throws  the  splendours  of 
Beulah  into  the  shade.  Yes,  the  gracious  Lord 
will  unveil  His  glory  as  our  "  senses  are  exer- 
cised to  receive  it." 

"  My  Presence  shall  go  with  thee."  That  is 
all  the  glory  we  need  upon  the  immediate  road. 
His  companionship  means  everything.  The  real 
glory  is  to  possess  God ;  let  Him  show  us  His  in- 
heritance as  it  shall  please  Him.  Life's  glory  is 
to  "  feel  Him  near."  When  the  loving  wife  feels 
that  the  husband  is  in  the  house,  and  when  the 
loving  husband  feels  that  the  wife  is  in  the  house, 
that  is  everything !  The  joy  of  each  other's  pres- 
ence is  the  crown  of  married  bliss.  And  so  it  is 
with  the  soul  that  is  married  to  the  Lord :  His 
presence  is  the  soul's  delight.  "  Thou,  O  Christ, 
art  all  I  want.'*_*'  Q  Master,  let  me  walk  with 
Thee." 


JUNE   ^e 


THE    BENEFITTED    AS    BENEFACTORS 

"  Who  comforteth  us  .  .  .  that  we  may  be 
able  to  comfort." — 2  Corinthians  i.  3-7. 

^ND  how  does  the  Lord  comfort  us? 
He  has  a  thousand  different  ways, 
and  no  one  can  ever  tell  by  what 
way  the  comfort  will  come  to  his 
soul.  Sometimes  it  comes  by  the 
door  of  memory,  and  sometimes  by  the  door  of 
hope.  Sometimes  it  is  borne  to  us  through  the 
ministry  of  nature,  and  at  other  times  through 
the  ministry  of  human  speech  and  kindness. 
But  always,  I  think,  it  brings  us  the  sense  of  a 
Presence,  as  though  we  had  a  great  Friend  in 
the  room,  and  the  troubled  heart  gains  quietness 
and  peace.  The  mist  clears  a  little,  and  we  have 
a  restful  assurance  of  our  God. 

Now  comforted  souls  are  to  be  comforters. 
They  who  have  received  benefits  of  grace  are  to 
be  benefactors.  They  who  have  heard  the  sweet 
music  of  God's  abiding  love  are  to  sing  it  again 
to  others.  They  who  have  seen  the  glory  are  to 
become  evangelists.  We  must  not  seek  to  hoard 
spiritual  treasure.  As  soon  as  we  lock  it  up  we 
begin  to  lose  it.  A  mysterious  moth  and  rust 
take  it  away.  If  we  do  not  comfort  others,  our 
own  comfort  will  turn  again  to  bitterness ;  the 
clouds  will  lower  and  we  shall  be  imprisoned 
in  the  old  woe.  But  the  comfort  which  makes  a 
comforter  grows  deeper  and  richer  every  day. 


JUNE    niie    MineteentK 


l/f 


RECKONING  UP  THINGS 

Psalm  xc.  1-12. 

UMBERING  things  is  one  of  the 
healthful  exercises  of  the  spiritual 
life.  Unless  we  count,  memory  is 
apt  to  be  very  tricky  and  to  snare 
us  into  strange  forgetfulness.  Un- 
less we  count  what  we  have  given  away,  we  are 
very  apt  to  exaggerate  our  bounty.  We  often 
think  we  have  given  when  we  have  only  listened 
to  appeals ;  the  mere  audience  has  been  mistaken 
for  active  beneficence.  The  remedy  for  all  this  is 
occasionally  to  count  our  benevolences  and  see 
how  we  stand  in  a  balance-sheet  which  we  could 
present  to  the  Lord  Himself. 

And  we  must  count  our  blessings.  It  is  v/hen 
our  arithmetic  fails  in  the  task,  and  when  count- 
ing God's  blessings  is  like  telling  the  number  of 
the  stars,  that  our  souls  bow  low  before  the  eter- 
nal goodness,  and  all  murmuring  dies  away 
"  like  cloud-spots  in  the  dawn." 

And  we  must  also  *'  number  our  days."  We 
are  wasteful  with  them,  and  we  throw  them  away 
as  though  they  are  ours  in  endless  procession. 
And  yet  there  are  only  seven  days  in  a  week !  A 
day  is  of  immeasurable  preciousness,  for  what 
high  accomplishment  may  it  not  witness  ?  A  day 
in  health  or  in  sickness,  spent  unto  God,  and  ap- 
plied unto  wisdom,  will  gather  treasures  more 
precious  than  rubies  and  gold. 


172 


JUME   m^e    TwentietK 


THE  REVEALING   PRESENCE   OF   THE 
LORD 

Ephesians  vi.   i-io. 

STARLING  never  reveals  the  rich- 
ness of  its  hues  until  we  see  it  in  the 
sunlight.  A  duty  never  discloses  its 
beauties  until  we  set  it  in  the  light  of 
the  Lord.  It  is  amazing  how  a  dull 
road  is  transfigured  when  the  sunshine  falls  upon 
it !  God's  grace  reveals  the  graces  in  all  healthy- 
things.  Hidden  lovelinesses  troop  out  when  we 
set  them  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord. 

And  so  the  Apostle  counsels  an  obedience 
which  is  "  in  the  Lord."  He  wants  us  to  know 
how  beautiful  common  things  can  be  when  they 
are  linked  to  Christ.  And  what  he  says  about 
obedience  he  says  about  everything.  One  of  the 
great  secrets  in  the  teaching  of  Paul  is  expressed 
in  just  this  phrase,  "  in  the  Lord,"  "  in  Christ." 
It  meant  connection  with  a  power-house  whose 
energy  would  light  up  all  the  common  lamps  of 
life — the  lamps  of  hope,  of  faith,  of  love,  of  daily 
labour,  and  of  human  service. 

And  this  is  the  secret  of  the  Christian  life.  We 
need  no  other ;  at  least,  all  other  secrets  are  in- 
volved in  this.  If  we  attend  to  this  little  prepo- 
sition "  in,"  we  have  entry  into  the  infinite.  If 
we  are  "  in  Christ,"  we  are  in  the  kingdom  of 
everything  that  endures,  and  we  are  outside 
nothing  but  sin. 


JUME    ^e 


ROOM  FOR   THE  SAPLINGS 

"  Children  crying  in  the  temple,  saying  Ho- 
sanna!" — Matthew  xxi.  1-16. 

HILDREN'S  voices  mingling  in  the 
sounds  of  holy  praise  !  A  little  child 
can  share  in  the  consecrated  life. 
Young  hearts  can  ofifer  love  pure  as 
a  limpid  spring.  Their  sympathy  is 
as  responsive  as  the  most  sensitive  harp,  and 
yields  to  the  touch  of  the  tenderest  joy  and  grief. 
No  wonder  the  Lord  "  called  little  children  unto 
Him " !  They  were  unto  Him  as  gracious 
streams,  and  as  flowers  of  the  field. 

Let  the  loving  Saviour  have  our  children. 
Let  there  be  no  waiting  for  maturer  years.  Ma- 
turity may  bring  the  impaired  faculty  and  the 
embittered  emotion.  Let  Him  have  things  in 
their  beginnings,  the  seeds  and  the  saplings.  Let 
Him  have  life  before  it  is  formed,  before  it  is 
"  set "  in  foolish  moulds.  Let  us  consecrate  the 
cradle,  and  the  good  Lord  will  grow  and  nourish 
His  saints. 


174 


JUNE  niie    Twenty-second 


CHILDLIKENESS 

Mark  ix.  33-41. 

T  is  the  child-spirit  that  finds  life's 
golden  gates,  and  that  finds  them  all 
ajar.  The  proudly  aggressive  spirit, 
contending  for  place  and  power,  may 
force  many  a  door,  but  they  are  not 
doors  which  open  into  enduring  wealth  and  peace. 
Real  inheritances  become  ours  only  through  hu- 
mility. 

The  proud  are,  therefore,  self-deceived.  They 
think  they  have  succeeded  when  they  have  sig- 
nally failed.  They  have  the  shadow,  but  they 
have  missed  the  substance.  They  may  have  the 
applause  of  the  world,  but  the  angels  sigh  over 
their  defeat.  They  pride  themselves  on  having 
"  got  on  " ;  the  angels  weep  because  they  have 
"  gone  down." 

When  we  grow  away  from  childlikeness  we 
are  "  in  a  decline."  "  God  resisteth  the  proud  ; 
He  giveth  grace  to  the  humble."  The  lowly  make 
great  discoveries;  to  them  the  earth  is  full  of 
God's  glory. 


THE   GREATEST  BENEFACTORS 

Matthew  x.  29-42. 

T  is  a  very  wonderful  thing  that  the 
finest  services  are  within  the  power 
of  the  poorest  people.  The  deepest 
ministries  find  their  symbols  in  "  cups 
of  cold  water,"  which  it  is  in  the  pow- 
er of  everybody  to  give.  The  great  benefactors 
are  the  great  lovers,  and  their  coin  is  not  that  of 
material  money,  but  the  wealth  of  the  heart.  A 
bit  of  afifection  is  worth  infinitely  more  than  the 
gift  of  a  necklace  of  pearls.  To  kindle  hope  in  a 
fainting  soul  is  far  more  precious  than  to  adorn 
the  weary  pilgrim  with  dazzling  gems.  "  He 
brought  me  heaps  of  presents,  but  I  was  hunger- 
ing for  love !  ''  Such  was  the  pathetic  cry  of  one 
who  was  "  clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen,  and 
fared  sumptuously  every  day." 

"  Cups  of  cold  water,"  simple  ministries  of  re- 
freshment, the  love-thought,  the  love-prayer,  the 
love-word — these  are  the  privileged  services  of  all 
of  us.  And  everybody  needs  these  gentle  and 
gracious  services  of  refreshment,  and  often  there 
is  greatest  need  where  there  seems  to  be  least.' 


176 


JUNE    HTie    Twent}; -fourth 


AT  EASE  IN  ZION 


m 


ion.  — 


"  Woe  to  them  that  are  at  ease 
Amos  vi.  1-7. 

WOULD  be  delivered  from  the  folly 
of  confusing  ease  and  rest.  There  is 
an  infinite  difference  between  com- 
forts and  comfort.  It  is  one  thing  to 
lie  down  on  a  luxurious  couch :  it  is 
a  very  different  thing  to  "  lie  down  in  green  past- 
ures "  under  the  gracious  shepherdliness  of  the 
Lord.  The  ease  which  men  covet  is  so  often  a 
fruit  of  stupefaction,  the  dull  product  of  sinful 
drugs,  the  wretched  sluggishness  of  carnal  grati- 
fication and  excess.  The  rest  which  God  giveth 
is  alive  and  wakeful,  abounding  in  tireless  and 
fruitful  service.     "  Oh,  rest  in  the  Lord.'' 

But  is  it  not  a  strange  thing  that  men  can  be 
"  at  ease  in  Zion  "  ?  That  they  can  play  the  beast 
in  the  holy  place  ?  Zion  was  full  of  holy  memory, 
and  abounded  with  suggestions  of  the  Divine 
Presence.  And  yet  here  they  could  carouse,  and 
lose  themselves  in  swinish  indulgence !  A  little 
while  ago  I  saw  a  beautiful  old  church  which  had 
been  turned  into  a  common  eating-house ! 

My  soul,  be  on  thy  guard.  Be  watchful  and 
diligent,  and  busy  thyself  in  the  practice  of  "  self- 
knowledge,  self-reverence,  self-control." 


DESOLATIONS  WROUGHT  BY  SIN 


"  The  Lord  hath  spoken  this  word." — Isaiah 
xxiv.    I-I2. 

HE  Lord  hath  spoken  this  word,"  and 
it  is  a  word  of  judgment.  It  unveils 
some  of  the  terrible  issues  of  sin. 

See  the  effects  of  sin  upon  the 
spirit  of  man.  "  The  merry-hearted 
do  sigh."  Life  loses  its  wings  and  its  song.  The 
buoyancy  and  the  optimism  die  out  of  the  soul. 
The  days  move  with  heavy  feet,  and  duty  be- 
comes very  stale  and  unwelcome.  If  only  our 
ears  were  keen  enough  we  should  hear  many  a 
place  of  hollow  laughter  moaning  with  troubled 
and  restless  sighs.  The  soul  cannot  sing  when 
God  is  defied. 

But  see  another  effect  of  sin.  "  The  earth 
moaneth."  That  is  a  frequent  note  in  Bible  teach- 
ing. The  forces  of  nature  are  mysteriously  con- 
ditioned by  the  character  of  man.  When  man  is 
degraded,  nature  is  despoiled.  The  beauty  of  the 
garden  is  checked  when  man  has  lost  his  crown. 
"  The  whole  creation  groaneth  in  pain,"  waiting 
for  the  manifestation  of  the  children  of  God. 

Sin  spreads  desolation  everywhere.  When  I 
sin,  I  become  the  centre  of  demoralizing  forces 
which  influence  the  universe.  And  so  let  me  ever 
pray,  "  Deliver  me  from  evil." 


178 


JUME    nite    Twenty-sixtK 


CRUCIFYING  THE  FLESH 

likewise    with    the    same 
1-8. 


"  Arm    yourselves 
mind." — i   Peter  iv. 


ET  not  the  body  be  dominant,  but  the 
soul.  Let  me  study  the  example  and 
counsel  of  the  Apostle  Paul. 

"  I  keep  my  body  under."  Liter- 
ally, I  pummel  it !  If  it  is  obtrusive 
and  aggressive,  its  appetites  clamouring  for  su- 
premacy, I  pummel  it !  Paul  was  not  afraid  of 
severe  measures  where  carnality  was  concerned. 
He  would  fast  a  whole  day  in  order  to  put  the 
flesh  in  its  place.  And  so  should  it  be  with  all 
the  Lord's  children.  We  are  too  self-indulgent. 
It  is  well  at  times  to  put  the  body  on  the  cross, 
and  crucify  its  cravings. 

"  Give  no  occasion  to  the  flesh."  Do  not  give 
it  a  chance  of  mastery !  And,  therefore,  do  not 
feed  it  with  illicit  thought.  Turn  the  mind  away 
from  the  subjects  in  which  the  body  will  find  ex- 
citing stimulant.  It  is  thought  which  awakes 
passion,  and  thought  can  do  much  to  destroy  it. 
"  Set  your  mind  on  things  which  are  above."  Keep 
the  mind  pure,  and  the  swine  will  never  enter  the 
holy  place. 


T^N^enty  -se  ventn 


GOD  IS  LIGHT! 


-I  John  i. 
mansion    of    God's 


In  Him  is  no  darkness  at  all."- 

HAT  wonderful 
Being  is  gloriously  radiant  in  every 
room !  In  the  house  of  my  life  there 
are  dark  chambers,  and  rooms  which 
are  only  partially  illumined,  the  other 
parts  being  in  the  possession  of  night.  Some  of 
my  faculties  and  powers  are  dark  ministers,  and 
some  of  my  moods  are  far  from  being  "  homes  of 
light."'  But  "  God  is  light,"  and  everything  is 
glorious  as  the  meridian  sun !  His  holiness.  His 
grace,  His  love,  His  mercy :  there  are  no  dark 
corners  where  uncleanness  hides ;  everything 
shines  with  undimmed  and  speckless  radiancy ! 

And  if  I  "  walk  in  the  light,"  I,  too,  shall  be- 
come illumined.  "  They  looked  unto  Him  and 
were  lightened."  We  are  fashioned  by  our  high- 
est companionships.  We  acquire  the  nature  of 
those  with  whom  we  most  constantly  commune. 
And  the  light  He  gives  is  also  fire.  It  will 
burn  away  our  sin.  We  may  measure  the  reality 
and  strength  of  our  communion  by  the  destruc- 
tion of  our  sin.  A  great  burning  will  be  pro- 
ceeding in  our  life,  and  one  evil  habit  after 
another  will  be  in  the  love-furnace  of  purification. 
The  Lord  still  "  purifies  Jerusalem  by  the  spirit  of 
burning." 


THE  WAITING  LIGHT 

2  Corinthians  iv.  i-6. 

CAN  shut  out  the  sweet  light  of  the 
morning.  I  can  refuse  to  open  the 
shutters  and  draw  up  the  bUnds. 
And  I  can  shut  out  the  Light  of  life. 
I  can  draw  the  thick  blinds  of  preju- 
dice, and  close  the  impenetrable  shutters  of  sin. 
And  the  Light  of  the  world  cannot  get  into  my 
soul. 

And  I  can  let  in  the  waiting  light  of  the  morn- 
ing, and  flood  my  room  with  its  glory.  And  the 
Light  is  "  a  gracious,  willing  guest."  No  fuss  is 
needed,  no  shouting  is  required.  Open  thy  case- 
ment, and  the  gracious  guest  is  in !  And  my 
Lord  has  no  reluctance  in  His  coming;  we  have 
not  to  drag  Him  to  our  table.  Open  thy  heart, 
and  the  Lord  is  in ! 

And  when  the  light  is  within  there  will  be  radi- 
ance at  the  windows.  And  when  the  Lord  is  shin- 
ing in  our  hearts  there  will  be  a  witness  in  the  life. 
Men  will  see  that  we  are  "  with  Jesus,"  because 
we  are  "  light  in  the  Lord." 

Good  Lord,  deliver  me  from  "  the  god  of  this 
world  "  lest  I  be  blinded  and  become  unable  to 
see  Thee !  I  open  my  heart  to  Thee !  Shine  in. 
Thou  light  of  life,  and  make  my  soul  the  radiant 
witness  of  Thy  grace. 


JUNE    nixe    Twenty-nintK 


i8i 


EFFECTUAL  PRAYERS 
"  The  effectual  fervent  prayer  of  a  righteous 
man  availeth  much." — James  v.  13-20. 

R,  as  Weymouth  translates  it,  "  The 
heartfelt  supplication  of  a  righteous 
man  exerts  a  mighty  influence." 
Prayer  may  be  empty  words,  with  no 
more  power  than  those  empty  shells 
which  have  been  foisted  upon  the  Turks  in  their 
war  with  the  Balkan  States.  Firing  empty 
shells !  That  is  what  many  professed  prayers 
really  are ;  they  have  nothing  in  them,  and  they 
accomplish  nothing.  They  are  just  forged  upon 
the  lips,  and  they  drop  to  the  earth  as  soon  as 
they  are  spoken.  Effectual  prayers  are  born  in 
the  heart ;  they  are  stocked  with  heart-treasure, 
with  faith,  and  hope,  and  desire,  and  holy  ur- 
gency, and  they  go  forth  with  power  to  shake 
the  world. 

What  are  my  prayers  like?  //  /  were  God, 
could  I  listen  to  them?  Are  they  mere  pre- 
tences at  prayer,  full  of  nothing  but  sound?  Is 
there  any  reasonable  ground  for  assuming  that 
they  can  accomplish  anything?  Or  are  my 
prayers  weighted  with  sincere  desire?  Do  they 
comprehend  my  brother's  good  as  well  as  my 
own?  Are  they  spoken  in  faith?  Do  they  go 
forth  in  great  expectancy?  Then  do  they  surely 
"  exert  a  mighty  influence,"  and  they  become 
fellow-labourers  with  all  God's  ministries  of  grace. 
The  greatest  thing  I  can  do  is  greatly  to  pray. 


l82 


JUNE    m^e    TKirtietK 


GOD   MY   STRENGTH   AND   SONG 

"  The  Lord  is  my  strength  and  my  song." — 
Psalm  cxviii.  14-21. 

ES,  first  of  all  "  my  strength  "  and 
then  "  my  song  " !  For  what  song 
can  there  be  where  there  is  languor 
and  fainting  ?  What  brave  music  can 
be  born  in  an  organ  which  is  short 
of  breath?  There  must  first  be  strength  if  we 
would  have  fine  harmonies.  And  so  the  good 
Lord  comes  to  the  songless,  and  with  holy  power 
He  brings  the  gift  of  "  saving  health." 

"  And  my  song  " !  For  when  life  is  healthy 
it  instinctively  breaks  into  song.  The  happy,  con- 
tented soul  goes  about  the  ways  of  life  humming 
its  satisfactions  to  itself,  and  is  now  and  again 
heard  by  the  passer-by.  The  Lord  fills  the  life 
with  instinctive  music.  When  life  is  holy  it  be- 
comes musical  with  His  praise. 

So  here  I  see  the  appointed  order  in  Christian 
service.  It  is  futile  to  try  to  make  people  joyful 
unless  we  do  it  by  seeking  first  to  make  them 
strong.  First  the  good,  and  then  the  truly  happy  ! 
First  the  holy,  and  then  the  musical.  First  God, 
and  then  the  breath  of  His  Holy  Spirit,  and  then 
"  the  new  song." 


JULY    niie    First 


THE  LIFE  OR  THE  LIGHT  OF  MEN 

Him  was  life." — John  i.   1-18. 

OT  merely  a  pool  of  life,  but  the 
well-spring.  All  rivers  of  enriching 
vitality  have  their  source  in  Him. 
Nowhere  is  there  a  crystal  stream 
which  was  not  born  at  the  Foun- 
tain. Let  us  make  our  claim  for  the  Lord 
all-comprehensive  and  inclusive.  Whatever 
energizes  body,  mind,  or  soul,  has  its  origin  in 
our  Sovereign  King.  "  All  our  springs  are  in 
Thee."     "  Thou  of  life  the  Fountain  art." 

"  And  the  life  was  the  light  of  men."  And 
what  did  He  not  light  up?  His  amazing  rays 
streamed  down  the  darkest  ways  of  men,  and 
illumined  the  vast,  sombre  chambers  of  human 
circumstance.  He  lit  up  sin  and  showed  its  true 
colour !  He  lit  up  sorrow,  and  transfigured  it ! 
He  lit  up  duty,  and  gave  it  a  new  face.  He  lit 
up  common  work,  and  glorified  it.  He  lit  up 
death,  and  we  could  see  through  it !  But,  above 
all,  He  lit  up  God,  and  "  the  people  that  sat  in 
darkness  saw  a  great  light." 

"  And  the  darkness  apprehended  it  not."  The 
darkness  could  not  lay  hold  of  it  and  quench  it ! 
It  was  not  overwhelmed  and  eclipsed  by  the 
murkiest  fog  of  prejudice,  or  by  the  dingiest  an- 
tagonism of  sinful  pride.  "  The  light  showeth  in 
the  darkness,"  inviolable  and  invincible! 


JULY   m^e    Second 


LIGHT  AND  LIGHTNING 

"And  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  shall  rest  upon 
Him." — Isaiah  xi.  i-io. 

ND  the  spirit  is  one  of  light !  All  the 
doors  and  windows  are  open.  His 
correspondences  are  perfect  and  un- 
broken. He  is  of  "  quick  under- 
standing," keen-scented  to  discern 
the  essences  of  things,  alert  to  perceive  the  reality 
behind  the  semblance,  to  "  see  things  as  they  are." 
All  the  great  primary  senses  are  awake,  and  He 
has  knowledge  of  every  "  secret  place." 

"  He  shall  smite  .  .  .  with  the  rod  of  His 
month,  and  with  the  breath  of  His  lips  shall  He 
slay."  The  spirit  of  light  follows  a  crusade  of 
holiness.  The  light  becomes  lightning!  The 
"  breathing,"  which  cools  the  fever-stricken,  can 
also  become  a  hot  breath,  which  wastes  and  de- 
stroys every  plant  of  evil  desire.  It  is  an  awful 
thing,  and  yet  a  gracious  thing,  that  "  our  God  is 
a  consuming  fire."  It  was  foretold  of  our  Lord 
that  He  should  baptize  "  with  fire." 

And  this  crusade  of  holiness  is  in  the  ministry 
of  peace.  He  will  burn  away  all  that  defileth,  in 
order  that  He  may  create  a  profound  and  perma- 
nent fellowship.  When  His  work  is  done,  there 
will  be  a  mingling  of  apparent  opposites,  and  an- 
tagonisms will  melt  into  a  gracious  union.  "  The 
sucking  child  will  play  on  the  hole  of  the  asp,  and 
the  weaned  child  shall  put  his  hand  on  the  adder's 
den." 


JULY    OKe    TKird 


MY  ELDER  BROTHER 

Hebrews  ii.  9-18. 

ND  doth  my  Lord  call  me  one  of  His 
brethren?  Let  me  leisurely  think 
upon  it,  until  my  very  soul  moves 
amid  my  affairs  in  noble  and  hal- 
lowed dignity.  If  I  steadily  remem- 
ber "  who  I  am,"  it  will  assuredly  transfigure 
"  what  I  am."  I  lose  the  sense  of  my  high  kin- 
ship, and  then  I  am  quite  content  to  be  "  sent  into 
the  fields  to  feed  swine." 

And  my  elder  Brother  came  to  "  destroy  the 
works  of  the  devil."  That  is  the  entire  ministry 
of  destruction.  Nothing  beautiful  does  He  de- 
stroy, nothing  winsome :  only  the  insidious  pres- 
ences which  are  the  foes  of  these  things.  He 
will  destroy  only  the  pestiferous  microbes  which 
ravage  the  vital  peace  of  the  soul.  Our  Lord  is 
the  enemy  of  the  deadly,  and  therefore  of  "  him 
that  had  the  power  of  death — that  is,  the  devil !  " 
And  in  this  holy  ministry  of  destruction  He  can 
defend  my  soul  as  "  one  who  knows,"  Himself 
"  having  been  tempted."  He  knows  the  subtlety 
of  the  devil,  and  where  the  soul  is  most  perilously 
exposed,  and  He  is  therefore  "  able  to  succour 
them  that  are  tempted." 


EMPTYING   ONESELF 
He  emptied  Himself ." — Piiilippians  ii.  i-ii. 

N  Mr.  Silvester  Home's  garden  a 
very  suggestive  scene  w^as  one  day 
to  be  witnessed.  A  cricketer  of 
w^orld-wide  renown  was  playing  a 
game  with  Mr.  Home's  little  four- 
year-old  son !  And  the  fierce  bowler  "  emp- 
tied himself,"  and  served  such  gentle,  dainty 
little  balls  that  the  tiny  man  at  the  wickets  was 
not  in  the  least  degree  afraid !  And  the  Lord  of 
glory  "  emptied  Himself,"  fashioning  Himself  to 
our  "  low  estate,"  and  in  His  unspeakably  gentle 
approaches  we  find  our  peace. 

And  I,  too,  am  to  seek  a  corresponding  lowli- 
ness of  mind  in  order  that  I,  too,  may  be  of 
service  to  my  weak  and  needy  brother.  It  is 
for  me  to  empty  myself  of  the  pride  of  strength, 
the  brutal  aggressiveness  of  success,  the  some- 
times unfeeling  obtrusiveness  of  health ;  I  must 
empty  myself,  and  "  get  down  "  by  the  side  of 
weakness  and  infirrnity,  and  in  gentle  fellowship 
humbly  proffer  my  help. 

And  if  the  mind  is  to  be  in  me  "  which  was 
also  in  Christ  Jesus,"  it  is  needful  for  me  to 
commune  with  Him  "  without  ceasing."  His  gen- 
tleness can  make  me  great. 


JULY  OKe   FiftK 


THE  DISCIPLESHIP  THAT  TELLS 

He  that  followeth  Me." — John  viii".  12-20. 

ES,  but  I  must  make  sure  that  I  fol- 
low Him  in  Spirit  and  in  truth.  It 
is  so  easy  to  be  self-deceived.  I  may 
follow  a  pleasant  emotion,  while  all 
the  time  a  bit  of  grim  cross-bearing 
is  being  ignored.  I  may  be  satisfied  to 
be  "  out  on  the  ocean  sailing,"  singing  of 
"  a  home  beyond  the  tide,"  while  all  the 
time  there  is  a  piece  of  perilous  salvage  work 
to  be  done  beneath  the  waves.  To  "  follow 
Jesus  "  is  to  face  the  hostility  of  scribes  and 
Pharisees,  to  offer  restoring  friendship  to  pub- 
licans and  sinners,  to  pray  in  blood-shedding  in 
Gethsemane,  to  brave  the  derision  of  the  brutal 
mob,  and  to  be  ''  ready  "  for  the  appalling  hap- 
penings on  Calvary !  Therefore,  following  is  not 
a  light  picnic ;  it  is  a  possible  martyrdom ! 

But  if  I  set  my  face  "  to  go,"  the  Lord  Him- 
self will  visit  me  with  "  the  light  of  life."  And 
the  resource  shall  not  be  broken  and  spasmodic : 
it  shall  be  mine  without  ceasing.  "  Be  thou  faith- 
ful ..  .  and  I  will  give  thee  .  .  .  life."  That 
life  will  flow  into  my  soul,  just  as  the  oxygenating 
air  flows  down  to  the  diver  who  is  faithfully  busy 
recovering  wreckage  from  the  wealth-strewn  bed 
of  the  mighty  sea.  Let  me  be  faithful,  and  every 
moment  the  Lord  will  crown  me  with  His  own 
vitalizing:  life ! 


JULY  OKe  SixtK. 


LIFE  AS  A  VOICE 

John  i.  19-34. 

jHIS  man  humbly  desires  to  be  "a 
voiced  He  has  no  ambition  to  re- 
ceive popular  homage.  He  does  not 
covet  the  power  of  the  lordly  purple. 
He  does  not  crave  to  be  a  great 
person ;  he  only  wants  to  be  a  great  voice !  He 
wants  to  articulate  the  thought  and  purpose  of 
God.  He  is  quite  content  to  be  hidden,  like  a 
bird  in  a  thick  bush,  if  only  his  song  may  be 
heard. 

And  in  order  that  he  may  be  a  voice  he  retires 
into  the  silent  solitudes  of  the  desert.  He  will 
listen  before  he  speaks.  Come  thou,  my  soul,  into 
his  secret !  The  air  is  clamorous  with  speech 
behind  which  there  has  been  no  hearing.  Men 
speak,  and  in  their  words  there  is  no  pulse  of  the 
Infinite.  In  their  consolations  there  is  no  balm. 
In  their  reproaches  there  is  no  sword.  Their 
words  are  empty  vessels,  full  of  sound !  Let  my 
voice  be  hushed  until  I  have  heard  the  voice  of 
the  Highest.  "  He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let 
him  hear." 

And  when  he  spake,  it  was  in  clear  and  definite 
testimony,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God !  "  The 
"  voice  "  succeeded,  for  men  began  to  look  away 
from  the  herald  to  the  herald's  Lord.  In  for- 
getting John  they  found  the  King.  They  passed 
the  signpost,  and  arrived  at  home! 


JULY  OKe 


IN   THE    GOLDEN  'AGE 

Isaiah  xl.  i-io. 

ND  so  these  things  are  to  happen 
when  the  Lord  has  come  to  His  own, 
and  His  decrees  are  honoured  in  our 
midst. 

Certain  inequalities  are  to  be 
ended.  Valleys  are  to  be  exalted,  and  mountains 
are  to  be  made  low.  There  is  to  be  a  levelling! 
Men  are  to  be  equal  in  freedom  and  opportunity. 

Certain  crookednesses  are  to  be  ended.  They 
are  to  be  "  made  straight."  Society  has  become 
warped  with  the  heat  of  lust,  and  the  fierce  fever 
of  competition,  and  the  hot,  devouring  fires  of 
greed.  When  the  Lord  is  enthroned  the  fires 
will  be  put  out,  the  heat  will  pass,  and  the  twisted 
fellowships  will  be  rectified. 

Certain  roughnesses  are  to  be  ended.  Class 
works  against  class  with  jagged  edge,  like  the 
teeth  of  a  saw.  They  tear  and  rend  one  another, 
and  the  family  of  God  is  always  bleeding.  These 
"  rough  places  "  are  to  be  "  made  plain."  We 
are  to  "  work  in  to  one  another,"  smoothly,  con- 
genially, in  a  frictionless  peace. 

And  this  Lord  is  coming,  coming  every  day, 
and  "  His  arm  shall  rule  for  Him."  "  Say  unto 
the  cities  of  Judah — Behold  your  God !  " 


tqo 


JULY  OKe  EigKtK 


WHAT  MANNER  OF  MAN? 

Matthew  xi.  7-15. 

HERE  are  some  men  who  are  only  as 
desert  reeds!  They  move  to  the 
breath  of  the  desert  wind.  They 
bend  before  it,  no  matter  in  what 
way  it  may  be  blowing.  They 
never  resist  the  wind.  They  never  become  "  hid- 
ing places  from  the  wind,"  stemming  a  popular 
drift.  They  are  the  victims  of  passing  opinions, 
and  are  swayed  by  the  current  passions. 

And  some  men  are  "  clothed  in  soft  raiment" ! 
They  shrink  from  the  rough  fustian,  the  labour- 
er's cotton  smock,  the  leather  suit  of  George  Fox. 
They  are  ultra-"  finicky."  They  are  afraid  of 
the  mire.  They  touch  the  sorrows  of  the  world 
with  a  timid  finger,  not  with  the  kindly,  healing 
grasp  of  a  surgeon. 

And  other  men  are  "prophets" !  They  have 
a  secret  fellowship  with  the  Infinite.  When  we 
listen  to  them  it  is  like  putting  one's  ear  to  the 
seashell :  we  catch  the  sound  of  the  ocean  roll. 
"  The  voice  of  the  Great  Eternal  dwells  in  their 
mighty  tones." 

And  others  are  "  children  of  the  Kingdom" 
They  are  greater  than  the  old  prophets,  because 
the  mystic  voice  has  become  a  Presence,  and  they 
have  "  seen  the  Lord."  The  veil  has  been  rent, 
and  they  "  walk  in  the  light "  as  "  children  of 
light." 


JULY    OKe    Ninth 


191 


SCHOLARS  IN  CHRIST'S  SCHOOL 

He   taught  His  disciples." — Mark   ix.   30-37. 

|ND  my  Lord  will  teach  me.  He  will 
lead  me  into  "  the  deep  things  "'  of 
God.  There  is  only  one  school  for 
this  sort  of  learning,  and  an  old  saint 
called  it  the  Academy  of  Love,  and 
it  meets  in  Gethsemane  and  Calvary,  and  the 
Lord  Himself  is  the  teacher,  and  there  is  room 
in  the  school  for  thee  and  me. 

But  the  disciples  were  not  in  the  mood  for 
learning.  They  were  not  ambitious  for  heavenly 
knowledge,  but  for  carnal  prizes,  not  for  wisdom, 
but  for  place.  "  They  disputed  one  with  another 
who  was  the  greatest."  And  that  spirit  is  always 
fatal  to  advancement  in  the  school  of  Christ. 
Our  petty  ambitions  close  the  door  and  windows 
of  our  souls,  and  the  heavenly  light  can  find  no 
entrance.  We  turn  Gethsemane  into  "  a  place  of 
strife,"  and  we  carry  our  clamour  even  to  Calvary 
itself.  From  this,  and  all  other  sinful  folly, 
good  Lord,  redeem  us ! 

They  who  would  be  great  scholars  in  this 
school  must  become  "  as  little  children."  Through 
the  childlike  spirit  we  attain  unto  Godlike  wis- 
dom.   By  humility  is  honour  and  life. 


JULY    nixe    TentK 


THE  GREAT  RENUNCIATION 

Matthew  xvii.  1-13. 

HAT  if  the  Transfiguration  was  the 
type  of  the  purposed  consummation 
of  every  life?  If  we  had  remained 
"  without  sin,"  it  may  be  that  we 
should  have  gradually  ripened  up  to 
a  moment  when  we  should  have  become  trans- 
figured, and  in  the  surpassing  brilliance  have 
been  translated  to  higher  planes  of  being.  Per- 
haps our  Lord  had  reached  this  material  con- 
summation, and  was  now  on  the  wonderful  bor- 
der land,  and  could  by  choice  slip  into  "  the 
glory!" 

But  He  made  another  choice.  And  this  was, 
of  a  truth,  the  "  great  renunciation !  "  He  turned 
His  back  on  the  glory,  and  deliberately  faced  the 
darkening  way  which  led  to  Calvary  and  the 
grave.  I  do  not  wonder  that  His  mysterious 
visitors  spake  with  Him  "  of  the  decease  which 
He  should  accomplish  at  Jerusalem."  He  could 
talk  about  nothing  else  !  He  "  set  His  face  to  go." 
And  in  my  Master's  choice  of  death  I  find  my 
hope  of  life.  Through  "  the  dark  gate  "  I  can 
find  "  the  mount."  My  transfiguration  is  made 
possible  in  His  humiliation.  If  my  Lord  had 
never  descended  I  could  never  have  ascended. 
If  He  had  abode  on  the  mount  I  should  have  re- 
mained in  my  sin.  He  has  "  opened  to  me  the 
gates  of  righteousness." 


JULY    ni^e    Eleventh 


193 


THE  FRIEND  OF  THE  BRIDEGROOM 

"  He  that  hath  the  bride  is  the  bridegroom." — 
John  iii.  23-36. 

E  ministers  sometimes  speak  of  "  my 
church."  I  occasionally  read  of  Mr. 
So-and-So's  church !  I  know  that 
the  phrase  is  colloquially  used,  but 
nevertheless,  it  is  unfortunate. 
Words  that  are  perversely  used  tend  to  pervert 
the  spirit.  And  this  phrase  tends  to  displace  the 
Bridegroom.  It  helps  to  make  us  obtrusive,  un- 
duly aggressive,  when  we  ought  to  be  reverently 
hiding  our  faces  with  our  wings.  The  Bride  is 
His! 

"  But  the  friend  of  the  bridegroom."  That  is 
my  place,  and  that  is  my  dignity.  And  what  a 
title  it  is,  making  me  a  member  of  the  finest  and 
most  select  aristocracy  in  heaven  or  on  earth ! 
The  "  friend  of  the  bridegroom  "  used  to  carry 
messages  to  the  bride,  to  share  in  the  wooing, 
and  to  help  to  bring  the  wedding  about.  And 
that,  too,  is  my  gracious  office,  to  be  a  match- 
maker for  my  Lord,  to  testify  concerning  Him,  to 
speak  His  praises,  until  the  soul  "  fall  in  love  " 
with  Him. 

"  He  must  increase,  but  I  must  decrease."  Yes, 
when  the  sun  is  rising  the  moon  becomes  dim ! 
When  the  glory  of  the  Bridegroom  breaks  upon 
the  bride  He  becomes  "  all  in  all,"  "  the  chief 
among  ten  thousand,  and  the  altogether  lovely." 


PREPARING  HIS  SERVANTS 
John  i.  35-51. 

UR  Lord  does  not  stumble  upon  His 
disciples  by  accident.  His  discover- 
ies are  not  surprises.  He  knows 
where  His  nuggets  lie.  Before  He 
calls  to  service  He  has  been  secretly 
preparing  the  servant.  "  I  girded  thee,  though 
thou  hast  not  known  Me." 

He  knew  all  about  Simon.  "  Thoti  art  Simon  " 
— just  a  listener,  not  yet  a  strong,  bold  doer :  a 
man  of  many  opinions  not  yet  consolidated  into 
the  truth  of  experimental  convictions.  "  Thoii 
shalt  he  called  Peter."  Simon  become  Peter! 
Loose  gravel  become  hard  rock !  Hear-says  be- 
come the  "  verilies  "  of  unshakable  experience ! 
The  Lord  proclaims  our  glorious  possibilities. 

And  He  knew  all  about  Nathanael.  "  When 
thou  wast  tinder  the  fig-tree  I  saw  thee.''  "  In 
that  secret  meditation  of  thine,  when  thy  wishes 
and  desires  were  being  born,  '  I  saw  thee ! '  " 
"  When  others  saw  nothing,  I  had  fellowship 
with  thee  in  the  secret  place." 

And  He  knows  all  about  thee  and  me.  "  I 
know  My  sheep."  We  do  not  take  Him  by  sur- 
prise. He  does  not  come  in  late,  and  find  the 
performance  half  over !  He  is  in  at  our  begin- 
nings, when  grave  issues  are  being  born.  "  I  am 
Alpha." 


JULY    m^e    ThirteentK  195 


PLAIN  GLASS 
"  They  were  Ushers." — Matthew  iv.  12-22. 

ND  so  our  Lord  went  first  to  the 
fishing-boats  and  not  to  the  schools. 
Learning  is  apt  to  be  proud  and  ag- 
gressive, and  hostile  to  the  simplici- 
ties of  the  Spirit.  There  is  nothing 
like  plain  glass  for  letting  in  the  light !  And  our 
Lord  wanted  transparent  media,  and  so  He  went 
to  the  simple  fishermen  on  the  beach.  "  God  hath 
chosen  the  foolish  things  of  the  world." 

And  by  choosing  labouring  men  our  Master 
glorified  labour.  He  Himself  had  worn  the  work- 
man's dress,  and  the  garment  which  the  King 
wears  becomes  regal  attire.  Yes,  the  working- 
man,  if  he  only  knew  it,  is  wearing  the  imperial 
robe.  He  is  one  of  the  kinsmen  of  the  Lord  of 
Glory ! 

Our  Lord  took  the  fisherman's  humble  calling, 
and  made  it  the  symbol  of  spiritual  service.  "  / 
will  make  yon  fishers  of  men."  And  He  will  do 
the  same  for  thee  and  me.  He  will  turn  our  daily 
labour  into  an  apocalypse,  and  through  its  ways 
and  means  He  will  make  us  wise  in  the  ministry 
of  the  kingdom.  He  will  make  the  material  the 
hand-maid  of  the  spiritual,  and  through  the  letter 
He  will  lead  us  into  the  secret  places  of  the  soul. 


196 


JULY    nixe    FourteentK 


THE  POSSIBILITIES  OF  THE  UNLIKELY, 
Matthew  ix.  1-13. 

^  DISCIPLE  from  among  the  publi- 
cans !  In  what  waste  places  our 
Lord  Jesus  finds  His  jewels !  What 
exquisite  possibilities  Ruskin  saw  in 
a  pinch  of  common  dust !  What 
radiant  glory  the  lapidary  can  see  in  the  rough, 
unpolished  gem !  The  Lord  loves  to  go  into  the 
unlikely  place,  and  lead  forth  His  saints.  "  In 
the  wilderness  shall  waters  break  out !  " 

We  must  prayerfully  cultivate  this  sacred  con- 
fidence in  the  possibilities  of  the  unlikely.  We 
can  never  be  successful  helpers  of  the  Lord  unless 
we  can  see  the  diamond  in  the  soot,  and  the 
radiant  saint  in  the  disregarded  publican.  It  is 
a  most  gracious  art  to  cultivate,  this  of  discern- 
ing a  man's  possible  excellencies  even '  in  the 
blackness  of  his  present  shame.  To  see  the  future 
best  in  the  present  worst,  that  is  the  true  per- 
ception of  a  child  of  light. 

"  O  give  us  eyes  to  see  like  Thee !  "  Well,  this 
is  the  medium  of  vision : — "  Blessed  are  the  pure 
in  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God,"  and  the  god- 
like, even  in  the  wilderness  of  sin.  "  Anoint 
thine  eyes  with  eye-salve,  that  thou  may'st  see !  " 


THE  DAILY  CROSS 

Luke  ix.  18-26. 

UR  Lord  never  bribes  His  disciples 
by  promising  them  ways  of  sunny 
ease.  He  does  not  buy  them  with 
ilHcit  gold.  He  does  not  put  the  glit- 
tering crown  upon  the  entrance-gate, 
and  hide  the  cross  behind  the  wall.  No :  on  the 
very  first  stage  of  the  sacred  pilgrimage  there 
falls  "  the  shadow  of  the  Cross."  "  Let  him  take 
up  his  cross  daily,  and  follow  Me." 

And  yet,  the  Lord's  blessing  is  hidden  in  the 
apparent  curse.  In  the  act  of  bearing  the  cross 
we  increase  our  strength.  That  is  the  heartening 
paradox  of  grace.  Virtuous  energies  pass  from 
our  very  burdens  into  our  spirits,  and  thus  "  out 
of  the  eater  comes  forth  meat."  We  bravely 
shoulder  our  load,  and  lo !  a  mystic  breath  visits 
the  heart,  and  a  strange  facility  attends  our  go- 
ings !  The  dead  cross  becomes  a  tree  of  life,  and 
a  secret  vitality  renews  our  souls. 

How  foolish,  then,  O  heart  of  mine,  to  avoid 
and  evade  Thy  cross !  Refuse  the  burden,  and 
thou  declinest  the  strength !  Ignore  the  duty, 
and  thou  shalt  feel  no  inspiration  !  Carefully  hus- 
band thy  blood,  and  thou  shalt  remain  for  ever 
anaemic !    But  lose  thy  life,  and  thou  shalt  find  it ! 


198 


JULY    Olie    SixteentK 


THE  VINE  AND   THE  BRANCH 

John  xv.  1-16. 

NEED  the  Lord.  What  can  a 
branch  do  apart  from  the  vine? 
It  may  retain  a  certain,  momentary 
greenness,  but  death  is  advancing 
apace.  And  there  are  multitudes  of 
professing  Christians  who  are  Hke  detached 
branches  ;  their  spiritual  life  is  ebbing  away  :  they 
do  not  startle  the  beholder  and  cause  him  to  ex- 
claim, "  How  full  of  life !  "  They  do  not  strike 
at  all!  They  have  no  splendid  "  force  of  charac- 
ter," and  they  therefore  exercise  no  arresting  wit- 
ness for  the  King.  They  are  not  "  abiding  "  in 
the  Eternal,  and  therefore  there  is  no  powerful 
pulse  from  the  Infinite.  "  Apart  from  Me  ye 
can  do  nothing !  " 

And  my  Lord  needs  me.  For  the  vine  has 
need  of  the  branch !  The  vine  expresses  itself  in 
the  branch,  and  conies  to  manifestation  in  leaf, 
and  flower,  and  fruit.  And  my  Lord  would 
manifest  Himself  in  me,  and  cause  my  branch  to 
be  heav}.'  with  the  glorious  fruits  of  His  grace. 
And  if  I  deprive  Him  of  the  branch,  and  deny 
Him  this  means  of  expression,  I  am  "  limiting 
the  Holy  One  of  Israel."  "  My  son,  give  Me 
thine  heart !  " 

Lord,  help  me  to  abide  in  Thee !  Save  me  from 
the  follies  of  a  fatal  independence !  Good  Lord, 
"  Abide  in  me." 


JULY    ni\e    Seventeenth 


iqq 


THE  DYING  OF  SELF 

John  xii.  12-36. 

XCEPT  a  corn  of  wheat  .  .  .  die !  " 
Yes,  it  is  through  death  we  pass  to 
life.  Discipleship  in  which  there  is 
no  death  can  never  be  truly  alive. 
The  nipping  winter  is  essential  to 
the  green  and  flowery  spring.  No  tomb,  no  resur- 
rection glory  J  In  every  life  there  must  be  a 
grave,  and  self  must  be  buried  within  it. 

We  must  die  to  self  in  our  prayers.  In  many 
prayers  self  is  obtrusive  and  aggressive  from 
end  to  end.  It  is  self,  self,  self !  That  self  must 
be  crucified.  We  must  make  more  room  for 
others  in  our  supplications.  On  our  knees  the 
egotist  must  die,  and  the  altruist  be  born.  And 
"  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit  " !  There 
are  multitudes  of  professing  Christians  who 
would  experience  a  wonderful  resurrection  if 
they  were  more  "  given  to  hospitality  "  in  their 
communion  with  the  Lord. 

And  if  self  die  in  our  prayers,  nowhere  else 
will  it  be  seen.  That  which  is  truly  slain  when 
we  are  upon  our  knees  will  not  reassert  itself 
when  we  return  to  common  ways  of  work  and 
service.  And,  therefore,  let  the  corn  of  wheat 
fall  into  the  ground  and  die ! 


200 


JULY   niie    EigKteentK 


THE  MESMERISM  OF  THE  WORLD 
Matthew  xix.  23-30. 
ATERIAL  possessions  multiply  our 
spiritual  difficulties.  It  is  hard  for  a 
rich  man  "  to  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  heaven."  For  what  is  the  king- 
dom?     It    is    "righteousness,    and 


peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost."  It  is  easy  for 
a  rich  man  to  appear  respectable,  but  how  hard 
is  it  to  be  holy !  He  may  surround  himself  with 
comforts,  but  how  hard  to  get  into  peace !  He 
may  move  in  the  cold  gleam  of  a  glittering  hap- 
piness, but  how  hard  to  get  into  the  rich,  warm 
quietness  of  an  abiding  joy!  Yes,  our  material 
possessions  so  easily  range  themselves  as  ram- 
parts between  us  and  our  destined  spiritual 
wealth. 

And  if  we  find  that  any  material  thing  so  mes- 
merizes us  that  we  are  held  in  fatal  bondage,  we 
are  to  sacrifice  it.  "  If  thine  eye  ofifend  thee, 
pluck  it  out,  and  cast  it  from  thee !  "  Whatever 
interposes  itself  between  us  and  our  Lord  must 
go !  It  is  a  hard  way,  but  it  leads  to  a  sound  and 
boisterous  health.  We  verily  "  receive  an  hun- 
dredfold !  "'  We  lose  "  a  thing,"  and  gain  a  grace. 
We  lose  fickle  sensations  and  gain  abounding  in- 
spiration. We  lose  the  world,  and  gain  the 
Lord! 


JULY   OKe    NineteentK 


20I 


THE  WRATH  OF  THE  LAMB 

John  ii.  13-22. 

HE  narrative  of  the  cleansing  follows 
the  story  of  the  wedding-feast.  In 
the  one  the  Lord  has  taken  the  spirit 
of  the  sanctuary  into  a  worldly  feast, 
and  thereby  illumined  and  glorified 
the  feast.  In  the  other,  the  spirit  of  the  world  has 
invaded  the  sanctuary,  and  thereby  defiled  and 
dishonoured  it.  The  spirit  of  worldliness,  like  an 
unclean,  insurgent  flood,  would  enter  and  possess 
the  entire  realm  of  human  life  and  service.  And 
here  it  converted  a  legitimate  convenience  into  an 
unhallowed  business.  It  transformed  a  needful 
expedient  into  an  unholy  end.  It  fixed  its  tables 
in  the  very  courts  of  the  Temple,  and  exalted  the 
quest  of  money  above  the  worship  of  God. 

"  And  He  made  a  scourge  of  cords."  And  is 
this  "  the  Lamb  of  God  "  ?  Yes,  "  the  Lamb  of 
God  "  is  also  "  the  lion  of  Judah."  The  mild 
sunshine  can  become  focussed  into  scorching 
flame !  As  soon  as  blessings  touch  sin  they  be- 
come curses.  "  For  this  was  the  Son  of  Man 
manifested,  that  He  might  destroy  the  works  of 
the  devil." 

My  soul,  remember  thou  the  scourge  of  thy 
Lord,  and  do  not  trifle  in  His  holy  place !  Seek 
thou  the  clean  hands  and  the  pure  heart,  and  the 
thunders  of  Sinai  shall  come  to  thee  as  beatific 
music  from  the  hill. 


202 


JULY    m^e    Twentieth 


DEFILING  THE  HOLY  PLACE 

Mark  xi.  11-19. 

T  was  a  teaching  of  the  old  Rabbis 
that  no  one  should  make  a  thorough- 
fare of  the  Temple,  or  enter  it  with 
the  dust  upon  his  feet.  The  teach- 
ing was  full  of  sacred  significance, 
however  far  their  practice  may  have  departed 
from  its  truth. 

Let  me  not  use  the  Temple  as  a  mere  passage 
to  something  else.  Let  me  not  use  my  religion 
as  an  expedient  for  more  easily  reaching  "  the 
chief  seats  "  among  men.  Let  me  not  put  on  the 
garments  of  worship  in  order  that  I  may  readily 
and  quickly  fill  my  purse.  Let  me  not  make  the 
sanctuary  "  a  short  cut "  to  the  bank ! 

And  let  me  not  carry  the  dust  of  the  world  on 
to  the  sacred  floor.  Let  me  "  wipe  my  feet." 
Let  me  sternly  shake  off  some  things — all  frivol- 
ity, easeful  indifference,  the  spirit  of  haste  and 
self-seeking.  Let  me  not  defile  the  courts  of  the 
Lord. 

And  let  me  remember  that  "  the  whole  earth 
is  full  of  His  glory."  Everywhere,  therefore,  I  am 
treading  the  sacred  floor !  Lord,  teach  me  this 
high  secret !  Then  shall  I  not  demean  the  Tem- 
ple into  a  market,  but  I  shall  transform  the  mar- 
ket into  a  temple.  "  Lo,  God  is  in  this  place,  and 
I  knew  it  not !  " 


JULY    OKe    Twenty-first 


203 


PURIFYING  THE  SANCTUARY 
2  Chronicles  xxix.  i-ii,  15-19. 

ORSHIP  has  vital  connections  with 
work.  There  are  nerve-relationships 
between  the  heart  and  the  hand.  The 
condition  of  the  sanctuary  is  reflected 
in  the  state  of  the  empire.  If  there 
is  uncleanness  in  "  the  holy  place,"  there  will  be 
blight  and  degeneracy  among  the  people.  The 
fatal  seeds  of  national  instability  and  decay  are 
not  found  in  economics;  they  are  found  in  the 
sanctuary.  "  Until  I  went  into  the  sanctuary 
.  ,    .  then  understood  I !  " 

Hezekiah  cleansed  "  the  house  of  the  Lord." 
He  cast  forth  the  filthiness  out  of  the  holy  place. 
He  ushered  in  his  golden  age  with  the  reforma- 
tion of  worship.  He  recalled  exiled  and  white- 
robed  Piety  to  her  appointed  throne.  He  began 
the  re-establishment  of  right  by  recognizing  the 
rights  of  God.  He  gave  the  Lord  His  due !  All 
our  rights  are  born  out  of  our  "  being  right  " 
with  God !  We  begin  to  be  rich  when  we  cease 
to  rob  God ! 

"  And  when  the  burnt  offering  began,  the  song 
of  the  Lord  began  also."  That  is  ever  so.  Our 
real  songs  begin  with  our  sacrifices.  We  enter 
the  realm  of  music  when  we  enter  the  realm  of 
self-surrender.  A  willing  offering,  on  a  clean 
altar,  introduces  the  soul  into  "  the  joy  of  the 
Lord." 


204 


JULY    niie    Twenty-second 


VISIONS  AND   TASKS 

2  Chronicles  xxxiv.  i-ii. 

OSIAH  "began  to  seek  after  God." 
The  other  day  I  saw  a  young  art 
student  copying  one  of  Turner's  pic- 
tures in  the  National  Gallery.  His 
eyes  were  being  continually  lifted 
from  his  canvas  to  his  "  master."  He  put  noth- 
ing down  which  he  had  not  first  seen.  He  was 
"  seeking  after  "  Turner ! 

And  thus  it  was  with  Josiah.  His  eyes  were 
"  ever  toward  the  Lord ! "  He  studied  the 
"  ways  "  of  the  Lord,  in  order  that  he  might  in- 
carnate them  in  national  life  and  practice.  Wise 
doings  always  begin  in  clear  seeing.  We  should 
be  far  more  efficient  in  practice  if  we  were  more 
diligently  assiduous  in  vision.  It  is  never  a  waste 
of  time  to  "  look  unto  Him."  Looking  is  a  most 
needful  part  of  our  daily  discipline.  "  What  I 
say  unto  you,  I  say  unto  all,  Watch!  " 

And  because  Josiah  saw  the  holiness  of  the 
Lord  he  saw  the  uncleanness  of  the  people.  He 
had  a  vision  of  God's  holy  place,  and  he  there- 
fore saw  the  defilement  of  the  material  worship. 
"  In  the  twelfth  year  he  began  to  purge 
Jiidah."  Yes,  that  is  the  sequence.  The  re- 
former follows  the  seer.  We  shall  begin  to 
sweep  the  streets  of  our  own  city  when  we  have 
gazed  upon  the  glories  of  the  holy  city,  the  New 
Jerusalem. 


JULY  m^e 


A  GREAT  SOUL  AT  PRAYER 
2  Chronicles  vi.  12-21. 
ET  me  reverently  study  this  great 
prayer  in  order  that,  when  I  go  to 
the  house  of  God,  I  may  be  able  to 
enrich  its  ministry  by  the  wealth  of 
my  own  supplications. 
Solomon  prayed  that  the  eyes  of  the  Lord 
might  be  open  toward  the  house  "  day  and 
night."  Like  the  eyes  of  a  mother  upon  her 
child  !  Like  the  eyes  of  a  lover  upon  his  beloved  ! 
And  therefore  it  is  more  than  protective  vision; 
shall  we  reverently  say  that  it  is  inventive  vision, 
devising  gracious  surprises,  anticipating  needs, 
preparing  love-gifts ;  it  is  sight  which  is  both  in- 
sight and  foresight,  ever  inspecting  and  prospect- 
ing for  the  loved  one's  good. 

And  Solomon  prayed  that  God's  ear  might  be 
open  to  the  cry  of  His  people's  need.  "  Hear 
Thou  from  Thy  dwelling -place.'"  He  prayed  that 
the  house  of  God  might  be  the  place  of  open  com- 
munion. That  is  ever  the  secret  of  peace,  and 
therefore  of  power.  If  I  know  that  I  have  cor- 
respondence with  the  Holy  One,  I  shall  walk  and 
work  as  a  child  of  light.  If  God  hear  me,  then 
I  can  sing! 

And  Solomon  prays  for  the  grace  of  forgive- 
ness. He  prays  for  the  sense  of  sweet  emanci- 
pation which  is  the  gift  of  grace.  It  is  the 
miracle  of  renewal,  and  it  ought  to  happen  every 
time  we  open  the  doors  of  the  sanctuary. 


Twenty-fourtK 


LOVE  OF  THE  SANCTUARY 

Psalm  Ixxxiv. 

RACIOUS  is  the  strength  of  this 
man's  desire  for  the  holy  place.  He 
covets  the  privilege  of  the  very  spar- 
row w^hich  builds  its  nest  beneath  the 
sacred  eaves  !  When  he  is  away  from 
the  Temple  its  worship  and  music  haunt  his  mind 
and  soul.  It  wooes  him  in  the  market-place.  Tts 
insistent  call  is  with  him  by  the  fireside.  Yes, 
"  in  his  heart  are  the  highways  to  Zion !  " 

And  the  permanency  of  this  devotional  mood 
transfigures  every  place.  It  turns  "  the  valley  of 
weeping  "  into  "  a  place  of  springs/'  The  colour 
of  any  place  is  largely  determined  by  our  moods. 
It  is  surprising  what  treasures  we  find  when  our 
soul  is  full  of  light.  What  discoveries  old 
Scrooge  made  when  the  Christmas  mood  pos- 
sessed his  own  heart !  When  we  carry  about  the 
spirit  of  the  sanctuary,  we  convert  every  spot  into 
rich  and  hallowed  ground. 

*'  /  had  rather  be  a  door-keeper  in  the  house  of 
my  God  than  to  dwell  in  the  tents  of  wickedness." 
Better  to  have  the  temple-spirit,  even  as  a  menial, 
than  the  unhallowed  heart  in  the  glittering  high 
places  of  sin.  "  God's  worst  is  better  than  the 
devil's  best." 


ty-fftK 


NO  TEMPLE  THEREIN 

"  And  I  saw  no  temple  therein." — Revelation 
xxi.  22-27. 

ND  that  because  it  was  all  temple! 
"  Every  place  was  hallowed  ground." 
There  was  no  merely  localized  Pres- 
ence, because  the  Presence  was  uni- 
versal. God  was  realized  every- 
where, and  therefore  the  little  meeting-tent  had 
vanished,  and  in  place  of  the  measurable  taber- 
nacle there  were  the  immeasurable  and  God-filled 
heavens. 

Even  here  on  earth  I  can  measure  my  spiritual 
growth  by  the  corresponding  enlargement  of  my 
temple.  What  is  the  size  of  my  sanctuary?  Am 
I  moving  toward  the  time  when  nothing  shall 
be  particularly  hallowed  because  all  will  be  sanc- 
tified? Are  the  six  days  of  the  week  becoming 
increasingly  like  the  seventh,  until  people  can 
see  no  difference  between  my  Monday  manners 
and  my  Sunday  mood?  And  how  about  places? 
Do  I  still  speak  of  "  religion  being  religion,"  and 
"  business  being  business,"  or  is  something  of 
the  sanctuary  getting  into  my  shop,  and  is  the 
exchange  becoming  a  side-chapel  of  the  Temple  ? 
"  And  the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof:'  When 
we  have  done  with  the  local  temple  we  can  dis- 
pose of  its  candles.  When  we  pass  out  of  the 
twilight  into  the  morning  "  the  stars  retire."  The 
fore-gleams  will  change  into  the  wondrous  glory 
of  the  ineffable  day. 


2o8 


JULY    niie    Twenty-sixtK 


THE  WELLS  OF  SALVATION 

John  iii.  1-21. 

HE  springs  of  our  redemption  are 
found  in  infinite  love.  "  God  is 
love  !  "  Redemption  was  not  inspired 
by  anger,  but  by  grace.  We  do  not 
contemplate  an  angry  God,  demand- 
ing a  victim,  but  a  compassionate  Father  making 
a  sacrifice.  At  one  extreme  of  our  golden  text 
is  eternal  "  love."  and  at  the  other  extreme  is 
"eternal  life."  What  if  the  two  are  one?  Ety- 
mologically,  "  love  "  and  "  life  "  are  akin.  What 
if  they  are  only  two  names  for  the  same  thing? 

To  "  believe  "  in  the  love  is  to  receive  the  life. 
For  when  I  believe  in  a  person's  love  I  open  my 
doors  to  the  lover.  And  to  believe  in  the  love 
of  God  is  to  let  the  heavenly  Lover  in.  And  with 
love  comes  a  wonderful  tropical  air — light,  and 
warmth,  and  air ;  and  "  all  things  become  new !  " 
It  is  the  letting  in  of  the  spring,  and  things  which 
have  been  in  wintry  bondage  awake,  and  arise 
from  their  graves. 

And  so  I  "  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God."  I 
become  a  native  of  a  new  and  marvellous  coun- 
try. I  begin  to  be  acclimatized  in  the  realm  of 
the  blest.  And  I  "  see  the  kingdom  of  God." 
Spiritual  perceptions  become  mine,  and  I  gaze 
upon  the  mystic  glories  of  the  home  of  God. 


JULY    ^TUe    Twenty-seventK 


20C5 


THE  WORK  OF  FAITH 

I  John  v.  1-13. 

ND  so  by  belief  /  find  life.  I  do 
not  obtain  the  vitalizing  air  through 
controversy,  or  clamour,  or  idle 
lamentation,  but  by  opening  the  win- 
dow !  Faith  opens  the  door  and  win- 
dow of  the  soul  to  the  Son  of  God.  It  can  be 
done  without  tears,  it  can  be  done  without  sen- 
sationalism. "  If  any  man  will  open  the  door,  I 
will  come  in."  "  And  he  that  hath  the  Son  hath 
the  life." 

And  by  belief  /  gain  my  victories.  "  Who  is 
he  that  overcometh  .  .  .  but  he  that  believeth  ?  " 
It  is  not  by  flashing  armour  that  we  beat  the 
devil,  but  by  an  invincible  life.  On  these  battle- 
fields a  mystic  breath  does  more  destruction  than 
all  our  fine  and  costly  expedients.  To  believe  is 
to  obtain  the  winning  spirit,  and  every  battle 
brings  its  trophies  to  our  feet. 

And  by  belief  /  gain  assurance.  "  He  that  be- 
lieveth .  .  .  hath  the  witness  in  him."  So  many 
Christians  fight  in  doubt  and  indecision,  and 
their  uncertainty  impairs  their  strength  and  skill. 
It  is  the  man  who  can  quietly  say  "  I  know  "  who 
is  terrible  in  battle  and  who  drives  his  foes  in  con- 
fusion from  the  field. 


210 


Twenty-eigKtK 


ALL  THINGS  NEW! 

2  Corinthians  v.  14-21. 

^ERE  is  a  new  constraint !  "  The  love 
of  Christ  constraineth  me."  The 
love  of  Christ  carries  me  along  like 
a  crowd.  I  am  taken  up  in  its 
mighty  movement  and  swept  along 
the  appointed  road !  Or  it  arrests  me,  and  makes 
me  its  willing  prisoner.  It  lays  a  strong  hand 
upon  me,  and  I  have  no  option  but  to  go.  A 
gracious  "  necessity  is  laid  upon  me."    /  must! 

And  here  is  a  new  world.  "  Old  things  are 
passed  away.''  The  man  who  is  the  prisoner  of 
the  Lord's  love  will  find  himself  in  new  and  won- 
derful scenery.  Everything  will  wear  a  new  face 
— God,  man,  self,  the  garden,  the  sky,  the  sea ! 
We  shall  look  at  all  things  through  love-eyes, 
and  it  is  amazing  in  what  new  light  a  great  love 
will  set  familiar  things !  Commonplaces  become 
beautiful  when  looked  at  through  the  lens  of 
Christian  love.  When  we  "  walk  in  love  "  our 
eyes  are  anointed  with  "  the  eye-salve  "  of  grace. 
And  here  is  a  new  service.  "  We  are  ambassa- 
dors .  .  .  for  Christ."  When  we  see  our  Lord 
through  love-eyes,  and  then  our  brother,  we  shall 
yearn  to  serve  our  brother  in  Christ.  We  shall 
intensely  long  to  tell  the  love-story  of  the  Lord 
our  Saviour.  What  we  have  seen,  with  confi- 
dence we  tell. 


JULY"    Mne    Twenty -nintK 


211 


NAMES  AND  NATURES 

Romans  viii.  i-io. 

EN  will  recognize  my  Christianity  by 
the  sign  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ.  And 
they  will  accept  no  other  witness.  I 
saw  a  plant-pot  the  other  day,  full  of 
soil,  bearing  no  flower,  but  flaunting 
a  stick  on  which  was  printed  the  word  "  Mignon- 
ette." "  Thou  hast  a  name  to  live  and  art  dead." 
The  world  will  take  no  notice  of  our  labels  and 
our  badges :  it  is  only  arrested  by  the  flower  and 
the  perfume.  "  If  any  man  hath  not  the  Spirit 
of  Christ  he  is  none  of  His." 

And  in  the  Spirit  of  Christ  I  shall  best  deal 
with  "  the  things  of  the  flesh."  There  are  some 
things  which  are  best  overcome  by  neglecting 
them.  To  give  them  attention  is  to  give  them 
nourishment.  Withdraw  the  attention,  and  they 
sicken  and  die.  And  so  I  must  seek  the  fellow- 
ship of  the  Spirit.  That  friendship  will  destroy 
the  other.  "  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  Mam- 
mon." If  I  am  in  communion  with  the  Holy  One 
the  other  will  pine  away,  and  cease  to  trovible 
me. 

Lord,  make  my  spirit  a  kinsman  of  Thine! 
Let  the  intimacy  be  ever  deeper  and  dearer, 
"  Draw  me  nearer,  blessed  Lord,"  until  in  near- 
ness to  Thee  I  find  my  peace,  my  joy,  and  my 
crown. 


212 


JULY   OKe    TKirtietK, 


SIN  AS  POISON 

Numbers  xxi.  4-9. 

ND  this  is  the  famiHar  teaching,  that 
sin  is  a  serpent.  It  possesses  a 
deadly  poison.  We  may  give  it 
pleasant  names,  but  we  are  only  or- 
namenting death.  A  chemist  might 
put  a  poison  into  a  chaste  and  elegant  flask,  but 
he  has  in  no  wise  changed  its  nature.  And  when 
we  name  sin  by  philosophic  euphemisms,  and  by 
less  exacting  terminologies — such  as  "  clever- 
ness," "  smartness,"  or  "  fault,"  or  "  misfortune," 
we  are  only  changing  the  flask,  and  the  diabolical 
essence  remains  the  same. 

And,  then,  sin  is  a  serpent  because  it  is  so 
subtle.  It  creeps  into  my  presence  almost  before 
I  know  it.  Its  approaches  are  so  insidious,  its 
expedients  so  full  of  guile.  "  Therefore,  I  say 
unto  all,  Watch  !  " 

But  in  Christ  the  old  serpent  is  dead !  Christ 
"  became  sin,"  and  in  Him  sin  was  crucified.  The 
thing  that  bit  is  bitten,  and  its  nefarious  power 
destroyed.  But  out  of  Christ  the  serpent  is  still 
busy  and  malicious,  claiming  what  he  presumes 
to  call  his  own. 

Let  me,  then,  dwell  in  Christ,  where  sin  "  has 
no  more  dominion."  "  Whosoever  believeth  shall 
not  perish  but  have  life." 


JULY    OKe     TKirty-first 


213 


THE  CLEAN  FLAME  OF  LOVE 

I  John  iv.  4-14. 

HIS  aged  apostle  cannot  get  away 
from  the  counsels  of  love.  All  his 
mental  movements  circle  about  this 
"  greatest  thing  in  the  world."  Once 
he  would  "  call  down  fire  upon 
men  " ;  now  the  only  fire  he  knows  is  the  pure  and 
genial  flame  of  love.  Beautiful  is  it  when  our 
fires  become  cleaner  as  we  get  older,  when  temper 
changes  to  compassion,  when  malice  becomes 
goodwill,  when  an  ill-controlled  conflagration  be- 
comes a  homely  fireside. 

And  all  the  love  we  acquire  we  must  get  from 
the  altars  of  God.  "  We  love  because  He  first 
loved  us."  We  can  find  it  nowhere  else.  "  Love 
is  of  God."  Why,  then,  not  seek  it  in  the  right 
place?  Why  seek  for  palms  in  arctic  regions,  or 
for  icebergs  in  the  tropics?  God  is  the  country 
of  love,  and  in  His  deep  mines  there  are  riches 
"  unsearchable." 

And  the  gracious  law  of  life  is  this,  that  every 
acquisition  of  love  increases  our  powers  of  dis- 
cernment. "  He  that  loveth  knoweth  .  .  .  !  " 
It  is  as  though  every  jewel  we  find  gives  us  an 
extra  lens  for  the  discovery  of  finer  jewels  still. 
And  thus  the  love-life  is  a  continual  surprise,  and 
the  surprise  will  be  eternal,  for  the  object  of  the 
wonder  is  the  infinite  love  of  God. 


214 


AUGUST    nixe    First 


GOD  AS  OUR  ALLY! 

Romans  viii.  31-39. 

F  God  is  for  us  !  "  But  we  must  make 
sure  of  that.  Is  God  on  the  field, 
taking  sides  with  us  ?  Have  we  been 
so  busy  with  our  preparations,  so 
concerned  with  many  things,  and 
everybody,  that  we  have  forgotten  our  greatest 
possible  Ally?  Is  He  on  the  field,  and  on  which 
side !  My  soul,  go  on  thy  knees,  and  settle  this 
in  secret.  That  purpose  of  thine !  That  choice 
of  thine !  That  work  of  thine !  Is  it  hallowed 
with  thy  Lord's  approval  and  seal  ? 

And  "  if  God  is  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us  ?  " 
Nothing  else  counts.  It  is  ever  a  foolish  and  fu- 
tile thing  to  count  the  heads  in  the  opposing 
ranks.  "  God  is  always  on  the  side  of  the  big 
battalions!  "  It  is  a  black  lie  of  the  devil!  We 
need  not  fear  the  big  battalions  if  only  we  are  se- 
curely in  the  right.  We  are  not  to  count  heads, 
but  to  weigh  and  estimate  causes.  Which  of  the 
causes  provides  a  tent  for  the  Lord  of  Hosts? 
Where  has  the  truth  its  waving  flag?  Stand  near 
that  flag,  my  soul,  and  thou  wilt  be  near  thy 
Lord !  And  nothing  shall  separate  thee  from  His 
love,  and  leave  thee  weak  and  isolated  on  the 
field.  Thou  shalt  be  "  more  than  conqueror  "  in 
Him  who  loves  thee,  and  will  love  thee  for  ever- 
more. 


AUGUST    ^e    Second 


215 


BY  JACOB'S  WELL 

John  iv.  1-15. 
WEARY  woman  and  a  weary  Lord  ! 
But  the  Lord  was  only  weary  in 
body ;  the  woman  was  dry  and  ex- 
hausted in  soul.  Her  heart  was  like 
some  charred  chamber  after  a  de- 
structive fire.  All  its  furniture  was  injured,  and 
some  of  it  was  almost  burnt  away.  For  sin  had 
been  blazing  in  the  secret  place,  and  had  scorched 
the  delicacies  of  the  spirit,  and  the  inward  satis- 
faction was  gone.  And  now  she  was  very  woary, 
and  her  daily  walk  had  become  a  most  tiresome 
march. 

And  the  Lord,  with  sympathetic  insight,  dis- 
cerned the  inward  dryness.  There  was  no  sound 
of  holy  contentment,  no  melody  of  joyful,  spirit- 
ual desire.  There  was  only  the  cold,  clammy 
silence  of  death.  "  He  knew  what  was  in  man." 
And  there  was  no  "  river  of  water  of  life  "  mak- 
ing glad  the  streets  of  this  woman's  soul. 

And  so  He  would  bring  to  her  the  waters  of 
spiritual  satisfaction,  the  holy  well  of  eternal  life. 
"  In  the  wilderness  shall  waters  break  out,  and 
springs  in  the  desert."  The  Lord  is  about  to 
work  a  miracle  of  grace,  changing  dull  pang  into 
healing  peace,  and  suffocated  desire  into  soaring 
fellowship  with  God.  He  is  about  to  transform 
an  outlawed  woman  into  one  of  the  "  elect 
saints."    How  will  He  do  it  ?    Let  us  watch  Him. 


2l6 


AUGUST  OKe  TKird 


CHANGING   ASKING   INTO    THIRSTING 

"  Go,  call  thy  husband! " — John  iv.   16-30. 

NEVER  supposed  that  the  trans- 
formation would  begin  here.  I 
thought  that  there  were  some  words 
which  would  remain  unspoken.  But 
here  our  Master  speaks  a  word 
which  only  deepens  the  weariness  of  the  woman, 
and  irritates  the  sore  of  her  galling  yoke.  What 
is  He  doing? 

He  is  seeking  to  change  the  sense  of  wretched- 
ness into  the  sense  of  sin !  He  is  seeking  to 
change  weariness  into  desire !  He  wants  to  make 
the  woman  thirst!  And  so  He  puts  His  finger 
upon  her  sin.  He  cannot  give  the  heavenly  water 
to  lips  that  merely  ask  for  it.  "  Sir,  give  me  this 
water !  "  No,  it  cannot  be  had  for  the  asking, 
only  for  the  thirsting !  And  so  the  gracious  Lord 
turns  the  woman's  eyes  upon  her  own  sinful  life, 
in  order  that  in  the  heat  of  a  fierce  shame  she 
might  cry  out,  "  I  thirst  for  God,  for  the  living 
God !  "  And  sure  I  am  that,  before  the  Lord 
had  done  with  her,  this  quiet,  lone  cry  leapt  from 
her  lips,  and  in  immediate  response  to  the  cry 
she  was  given  a  deep  draught  from  the  eternal 
well. 

And,  good  Lord,  arouse  my  sense  of  my  sin 
that  I,  too,  may  thirst  for  Thy  water!  Now, 
make  me  thirst  for  it,  and  in  the  thirst  receive  it ! 


AUGUST  nixe    FourtK 


HIDDEN  MANNA 

"I  have  meat  to  eat  that  ye  know  not  of." — 
John  iv.  31-42. 

A^D  what  sort  of  meat  is  this?  The 
Lord  found  secret  refreshment  in 
feeding  other  people.  In  vitalizing 
the  woman  of  Samaria  He  restored 
His  own  soul.  The  disciples  were 
amazed  when  they  returned  to  find  that  the  weari- 
ness had  gone  out  of  His  face,  and  that  He  looked 
like  one  who  had  been  at  a  feast ! 

And  that  is  the  law  of  life.  "  My  meat  is  to 
do  the  will.''  There  is  a  secret  nutriment  in  the 
bread  we  give  away.  The  Lord  gives  us  to  eat 
of  the  "  hidden  manna  "  whenever  we  are  seek- 
ing the  refreshment  of  our  fellows.  Distributed 
bread  has  a  sacramental  efficacy  for  our  own 
souls.  The  man  who  feeds  the  hungry  shall  him- 
self be  "  satisfied  as  with  marrow." 

And  these  ways  of  service  are  open  on  every 
side.  There  are  millions  of  weary  people  wait- 
ing, like  the  woman  at  the  well.  "  Lift  up  your 
eyes,  and  look  on  the  -fields:  for  they  are  white 
already  to  harvest!  "  Be  it  mine  to  be  a  minister 
in  the  mighty  service,  and  in  the  ways  of  obedi- 
ence let  me  find  delights  and  delicacies  for  my 
own  soul. 


"  Bread  of  Heaven, 
Feed  me  till  I  want  no  more ! " 


2l8 


AUGUST  Qke  FiftK 


BROOKS  BY  THE  WAY 

Isaiah  xii. 

HE  wells  of  the  Lord  are  to  be  found 
where  most  I  need  them.  The  Lord 
of  the  way  knows  the  pilgrim  life, 
and  the  wells  have  been  unsealed  just 
where  the  soul  is  prone  to  become 
dry  and  faint.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill  Difficulty 
was  found  a  spring !  Yes,  these  health-springs 
are  lifting  their  crystal  flood  in  the  cheerless 
wastes  of  evil  antagonisms  and  exhausting  grief. 
Sometimes  I  am  foolish,  and  in  my  need  I  as- 
sume that  the  well  is  far  away.  I  knew  a  farmer 
who  for  a  generation  had  carried  every  pail  of 
water  from  a  distant  well  to  meet  the  needs  of 
his  homestead.  And  one  day  he  sunk  a  shaft  by 
his  own  house  door,  and  to  his  great  joy  he 
found  that  the  water  was  waiting  at  his  own 
gate !  My  soul,  thy  well  is  near,  even  here  !  Go 
not  in  search  of  Him !  Thy  pilgrimage  is  ended, 
the  waters  are  at  thy  feet! 

But  I  must  "  draw  the  water  out  of  the  wells 
of  salvation."'  The  hand  of  faith  must  lift  the 
gracious  gift  to  the  parched  lips,  and  so  refresh 
the  panting  soul.  "  I  will  take  the  cup  of  salva- 
tion." Stretch  out  thy  "  lame  hand  of  faith,"  and 
take  the  holy,  hallowing  energy  offered  by  the 
Lord. 


AUGUST  rrKe 


WATERS  OF  CONTENTMENT 
Isaiah  Iv.  1-7. 
HE  refreshing  waters  are  offered  to 
"  everyone  "  that  is  thirsty.  The 
evangel  is  Hke  some  clear  bugle  peal, 
sounded  on  some  commanding  up- 
land, and  which  is  heard  alike  in  pal- 
ace and  cottage,  in  school  and  at  the  mill,  by 
the  child  of  plenty  and  by  the  child  of  want. 
"  Ho,  everyone !  "  The  appeal  is  to  the  common 
heart,  whether  the  setting  be  squalor  or  splen- 
dour, whether  the  soul  faints  in  the  glare  of  the 
prosperous  noon,  or  under  the  chill  of  the  burden- 
some night.    "  Ho,  everyone  that  thirsteth  !  " 

And  the  waters  may  be  ours  "  without  money 
and  without  price.''  We  have  not  to  earn  them 
by  the  sweat  of  body,  mind,  or  soul.  We  have 
not  to  make  a  toilsome  pilgrimage,  on  bleeding 
feet,  to  some  distant  Lourdes,  where  the  sacred 
healer  abides.  No,  we  are  asked  to  pay  nothing, 
and  for  the  simple  reason  that  we  "  have  nothing 
wherewith  to  pay."  The  reviving  grace  is  given 
to  us  "  freely,"  and  all  that  we  have  to  present  is 
our  thirst. 

And  yet  we  spend  and  spend,  we  labour  and 
labour,  but  we  buy  no  bread  of  contentment,  and 
the  waters  of  satisfaction  are  far  away.  The  sat- 
isfying bread  cannot  be  bought ;  it  can  only  be 
begged.  The  water  of  life  cannot  be  taken  frorri 
a  cistern ;  it  must  be  drunk  at  the  spring. 


AUGUST  OKe 


RIVERS  FROM  THE  SNOW 
Revelation  xxii.  1-7,  17-21. 
HE  water  of  life  flows  out  of  the 
throne.  Grace  has  its  rise  in  sover- 
eign holiness.  This  river  is  born 
amid  the  virgin  snow.  All  true  love 
springs  out  of  spotless  purity. 
"  Love  "  from  any  other  source  is  illegitimately 
wearing  a  stolen  name.  "  Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the 
Lord !  "  That  is  the  first  note  in  the  song  of  re- 
demption. In  that  burning  whiteness  I  discern 
the  possibility  of  my  own  sanctification. 

For  the  grace  which  flows  out  of  sovereign 
holiness  is  a  minister  of  the  holy  Lord  to  make 
me  holy.  If  it  were  not  perfectly  pure  it  would 
itself  be  an  agent  of  defilement.  But  it  is  "  clear 
as  crystal,"  and  therefore  it  purifies  and  fertilizes 
wherever  it  flows.  Rare  trees  grow  upon  its 
banks,  and  grace-fruits  make  every  season  beau- 
tiful. "  Everything  shall  live  whither  the  river 
Cometh." 

But  without  the  river  my  soul  shall  be  "  as  an 
unwatered  garden."  My  life  shall  be  a  realm  of 
perpetual  drought.  Things  may  begin  to  grow, 
but  they  shall  speedily  droop  and  die.  The 
heavenly  Husbandman  shall  find  no  fruit  when 
He  walks  amid  the  garden  in  the  cool  of  the  day. 
And  therefore,  my  soul,  look  to  the  river  which 
'flows  from  the  throne !  "  There  is  a  river,  the 
streams  whereof  make  glad  the  city  of  God,"  and 
that  river  is  for  thee ! 


AUGUST 


221 


THE  SCARLET  SIN 
Isaiah  i.  10-20. 
OW  can  we  deal  with  glaring  sin,  with 
sin  that  is  "  scarlet,"  that  is  "  red  like 
crimson  "  ?  And  when  the  red  stain 
has  soaked  into  the  very  texture  of 
the  character,  and  every  fibre  is 
stupefied,  what  can  we  do  then?  Let  me  listen. 
"  Wash  you."  But  ordinary  washings  will  not 
suffice.  The  ministry  of  education  will  fail.  Art, 
and  literature,  and  music  will  leave  the  internal 
stain  undisturbed.  They  may  impart  a  polish, 
but  the  polish  shall  be  like  the  gloss  on  badly- 
washed  linen.  And  the  ministry  of  work  will 
fail.  Work  never  yet  made  a  foul  soul  clean. 
There  is  "  a  fountain  opened  for  all  unclean- 
ness."  I  must  wash  "  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb." 
That  red  sacrifice  can  wash  out  the  deep  red 
stain. 

"  Cease  to  do  evil."  Yes,  I  must  turn  my  back 
on  the  roads  of  defilement.  There  must  be  a 
sharp  decision,  and  an  immediate  reversal  of  my 
ways.  "  Halt !  "  "  Right  about  turn  !  "  "  Quick 
march ! " 

''Learn  to  do  well!"  Yes,  let  me  diligently 
learn,  like  a  child  at  school,  until  the  deliberative 
becomes  the  instructive,  and  "  practice  makes 
perfect." 


222 


AUGUST  niie  NintK 


GOD'S  REQUIREMENTS 

"What  doth  the  Lord  require  of  thee?" — 
MiCAH  vi.  1-8. 

O  do  justly."  Then  I  must  not  be  so 
eager  about  my  rights  as  to  forget  my 
duties.  For  my  duties  are  just  the 
observance  of  my  neighbour's  rights. 
And  to  see  my  neighbour's  rights  I 
must  cultivate  his  "  point  of  view."  I  must  look 
out  of  his  windows !  "  Look  not  every  man  on 
his  own  things,  but  every  man  also  on  the  things 
of  others." 

"  And  to  love  mercy."  And  mercy  is  justice 
plus!  And  it  is  the  "plus"  which  makes  the 
Christian.  His  cup  "  runneth  over."  He  gives, 
like  his  Lord,  "  good  measure,  pressed  down, 
shaken  together,  running  over."  There  is  always 
"  a  little  extra  "  for  Christ's  sake  !  And  "  blessed 
are  the  merciful." 

"  And  to  zvalk  humbly  zuith  thy  God.''  And 
there  I  am  at  the  root  of  the  two  graces  which 
have  been  enjoined  upon  me.  The  lowly  friend 
of  the  Lord  will  most  surely  be  both  just  and 
merciful.  He  cannot  help  it.  The  fragrance  will 
cling  to  him  as  the  fragrance  of  the  orange  clings 
to  him  who  labours  in  the  fruitful  groves  of 
Spain. 


AUGUST  Ol^e 


GOOD  FRUIT 
Luke  vi.  43-49. 
Y  Lord  seeks  "  good  fruit."  It  must 
be  sound.  No  disease  must  lurk 
within  it.  My  virtues  are  so  often 
touched  with  defilement.  There  is 
a  little  untruth  even  in  my  truth. 
There  is  a  little  jealousy  even  in  my  praise. 
There  is  a  little  superciliousness  even  in  my  for- 
bearance. There  is  a  little  pride  even  in  my  piety. 
It  is  not ''  whole,"  not  holy.  God  demands  sound 
fruit. 

And  "  good  fruit "  demands  "  a  good  tree." 
We  must  not  look  for  truth  from  an  untrue  soul. 
If  the  bullet-mould  is  deformed,  all  the  bullets 
will  share  its  deformity.  First  get  the  mould 
right,  and  every  bullet  will  share  its  rectitude. 
When  the  soul  is  "  true,"  all  our  words,  and 
deeds,  and  gestures  will  be  "  of  the  truth,"  and 
will  be  true  indeed.    "  Make  the  tree  good." 

And  that  is  just  what  our  Lord  proclaims  His 
ivillingness  to  do.  He  does  not  begin  with  ef- 
fects, but  with  causes ;  not  with  fruit,  but  with 
trees.  He  does  not  begin  with  our  speech,  but 
with  the  speaker ;  not  with  conduct,  but  with 
character.  And,  blessed  be  His  name.  He  can 
transform  "  corrupt  trees  "  into  "  good  trees," 
until  it  shall  be  said :  "  He  that  hath  turned  the 
world  upside  down  has  come  hither  also." 


224 


AUGUST    OKe    EleventK 


THE  CONSECRATION  OF  THE  WILL 

John  v.  i-i8. 

Y  Lord  demands  my  will  in  the  min- 
istry of  healing.  "Art  thou  willing 
to  be  made  whole?"  He  will  not 
carry  me  as  a  log.  When  my  school- 
master put  a  belt  around  me,  and 
held  me  over  the  water  with  a  rope,  and  taught 
me  to  swim,  I  had  to  use  my  arms.  The  con- 
dition of  help  was  endeavour.  And  so  in  my  sal- 
vation. I  have  always  will-power  sufficient  to 
pray  and  to  try.  In  the  effort  of  faith  I  open 
the  door  to  the  energies  of  God.  Grace  flows  in 
the  channels  of  the  determined  will.  "  O,  God, 
my  heart  is  set !  " 

And  my  Lord  demands  my  will  in  the  living  of 
the  consecrated  life.  "  Sin  no  more !  "  I  must 
"  will "  to  be  whole,  and  I  must  will  to  remain 
holy.  And  here  is  the  gracious  law  of  the  king- 
dom, that  every  time  I  exercise  my  will  I  add  to 
its  power.  Every  difficulty  overcome  adds  its 
strength  to  my  resources.  Every  enemy  con- 
quered marches  henceforth  in  my  own  ranks.  I 
go  "  from  strength  to  strength.'" 

"  God  worketh  in  me  to  will !  "  The  gracious 
Lord  ever  strengthens  the  will  that  is  willing. 
He  transforms  the  frail  reed  into  an  iron  pillar, 
and  makes  trembling  timidity  bold  as  a  lion. 

"  Mighty  Spirit,  dwell  with  me, 
I  myself  would  mighty  be." 


AUGUST    Olte    TxvelftK 


225 


MY  LIFE  AND  HOPE 

John  v.  19-30. 
ERE  is  my  reservoir.  "  The  Son  hath 
life  in  Himself."  All  vitality  has  its 
source  in  Him.  He  is  the  enemy  of 
death  and  the  deadly.  I  can  paint  the 
dead  to  look  like  life  ;  I  can  use  rouge 
for  blood,  and  make  the  white  lips  red,  but  it  all 
remains  clammy  and  cold.  I  can  galvanize,  but 
I  cannot  vitalize.  I  can  "  break  the  ball  of  nard/' 
and  make  perfume,  "  but  still  the  sleeper  sleeps." 
"  In  Him  is  life."  "  In  Christ  shall  all  be  made 
alive !  " 

And  here  is  my  hope.  "  The  Son  also  quick- 
eneth."  He  is  not  only  a  reservoir.  He  is  a 
river.  He  is  "  the  river  of  water  of  life."  And 
His  blessed  purpose  is  to  flow  into  desolate 
places,  converting  deserts  into  gardens,  and 
making  wildernesses  to  blossom  as  the  rose. 

And  He  will  come  my  way  if  only  I  will 
"  hear  "  and  "  believe."  There  is  a  flippant  hear- 
ing which,  while  it  listens,  laughs  Him  to  scorn. 
There  is  a  cheap  hearing  which  will  venture  noth- 
ing on  His  counsel.  And  there  is  the  hearing  of 
faith,  which  simply  "  takes  Him  at  His  word," 
and  in  the  glorious  venture  experiences  the  un- 
sealing of  the  fountain  of  eternal  life.  "  Who- 
soever will,  let  him  take  of  the  water  of  life 
freely." 


226 


AUGUST    m^e    TKirteentK 


THE  INNER  ROOMS 
John  v.  31-47. 
HAT  should  I  think  of  a  man  who 
was  contented  to  remain  in  the  outer 
halls  and  passages  of  Windsor 
Castle,  when  he  was  invited  into 
the  royal  precincts  to  have  gracious 
communion  with  the  King?  And  what  shall 
I  think  of  men  who  are  contented  to  **  search 
the  Scriptures  "  and  "  will  not  come  "  to  the 
Lord  ?  They  spend  their  life  exploring  the  lob- 
bies, when  the  Host  and  the  feast  are  waiting  in 
the  upper  room ! 

And  some  men  spend  their  days  in  criticism 
and  they  never  advance  to  worship.  They  are 
like  unto  one  who  should  give  his  strength  to  the 
deciphering  of  some  time-worn  inscription  on  the 
outer  wall  of  some  grand  cathedral,  and  who 
never  treads  the  sacred  floor  in  fruitful  and  en- 
riching awe. 

And  some  men  live  in  the  senses,  and  not  in 
the  conscience,  in  the  awful  presence  of  the  great 
white  throne.  They  are  for  ever  seeking  sen- 
sations, and  avoid  the  fellowship  of  duty.  They 
ride  about  in  the  channel,  and  they  never  come 
to  the  harbour.  They  have  no  settled  moral 
home. 

My  Lord,  help  me  to  regard  all  good  things  as 
merely  passages  leading  to  Thee !  Let  all  good 
things  bring  me  into  intimate  fellowship  with 
Thee. 


AUGUST    nite    FourteentK 


227 


THE  PARALYSIS  OF  THE  SOUL 

Luke  v.  17-26. 

HE  miracle  done  in  the  body  is  pur- 
posed to  be  a  symbol  of  a  grander 
miracle  to  be  wrought  in  the  soul. 
"  That  ye  may  know  that  the  Son  of 
Alan  hath  power  on  earth  to  forgive 
sins,  then  saith  He  ...  !  "  He  heals  the  para- 
lyzed body  that  we  may  know  what  He  can  do 
with  a  paralyzed  soul.  He  liberates  the  man  who 
is  bound  by  palsy  that  we  may  know  what  He  can 
do  for  a  man  who  is  bound  by  guilt.  We  are 
to  reason  from  the  less  to  the  greater,  from  the 
material  type  to  the  spiritual  reality. 

And  so  it  is  with  all  my  Lord's  doings  in 
nature.  They  are  a  glorious  symbolism  of  what 
He  will  do  in  the  spirit.  "  That  ye  may  know 
how  beautiful  the  Son  of  Man  can  make  the 
heart  of  man,  then  saith  He  to  the  seeds  of  the 
spring-time,  Come  forth !  "  And  so  nature  be- 
comes a  literature,  in  which  we  see  our  possible 
inheritance  in  the   Spirit. 

But  on  our  side  it  is  all  conditioned  by  faith. 
"  There  He  could  do  no  mighty  works  because 
of  their  unbelief."  Even  in  the  miracles  of  the 
Spirit  our  faith  must  co-operate.  Divine  grace 
and  human  faith  can  transfigure  the  race.  "  Lord, 
increase  our  faith !  "  And  everywhere,  let  pal- 
sied souls  be  delivered,  and  attain  to  glorious 
freedom ! 


WITHERED  LIMBS 

Mark  iii.  i-8. 

HERE  are  withered  limbs  of  the 
spirit  as  well  as  of  the  body.  There 
are  faculties  and  powers  which  are 
wasting  away,  sacred  endowments 
which  have  lost  their  vital  circula- 
tion. In  some  lives  the  will  is  a  withered  limb. 
In  others  it  is  the  conscience.  In  others,  again, 
it  is  the  affections.  These  splendid  moral  and 
spiritual  powers  are  being  dried  up,  and  they 
hang  comparatively  limp  and  useless  in  the  life. 
They  have  been  withered  by  sin  and  sinful  negli- 
gence. 

And  the  Lord  is  the  healer  of  withered  limbs. 
He  can  deal  with  imprisoned  affections  as  the 
warm  spring  deals  with  the  river  which  has  been 
locked  in  ice.  He  can  minister  to  a  stricken  will, 
and  make  it  as  a  benumbed  hand  when  the  cir- 
culation has  been  restored.  He  can  give  it  grip 
and  tenacity.  And  so  with  all  our  powers.  He, 
who  is  the  Life,  can  vitalize  all ! 

But  here  again  the  remnant  of  our  withered 
endowment  must  be  used  in  the  healing.  We 
must  surrender  to  the  Healer.  We  must  obey. 
If  the  Lord  says :  "  Stretch  forth  thy  hand,"  we 
must  attempt  the  impossible !  In  this  region  the 
impossible  becomes  possible  in  sanctified  en- 
deavour. 


AUGUST    <l\xe    SixteentK 


229 


THE  CHURCH  AS  AN  INFIRMARY 

Luke  xiii.  10-17. 

HAT  infirmities  gather  together  in 
the  synagogue !  What  moral  and 
spiritual  ailments  are  congregated  in 
every  place  of  worship!  If  the  veil 
of  the  flesh  could  be  removed, 
and  the  inward  life  revealed,  how  we 
should  pity  one  another,  and  how  we  should 
pray !  In  how  many  lives  should  we  behold  a 
spirit  "  bound  together,"  who  "  could  in  no  wise 
lift  herself  up !  "  Wills  like  crushed  reeds,  con- 
sciences like  broken  vocal  chords,  hopes  like  birds 
with  injured  wings,  and  hearts  like  ruined 
homes ! 

But  the  blessed  Lord  still  goes  into  the  syna- 
gogue; nay,  He  anticipates  our  coming.  And 
He  is  present  "  to  heal  the  broken  in  heart,"  and 
to  "  bind  up  his  wounds."  His  touch  "  has  still 
its  ancient  power."  Still  does  the  gracious 
Master  speak  with  authority.  "  Woman,  thou 
art  loosed  from  thine  infirmity !  "  And  imme- 
diately she  is  "  made  straight." 

Then  why  do  so  many  spiritual  cripples  leave 
the  synagogue  cripples  still?  Because  they  do 
not  give  the  Healer  a  chance.  No  one  can  re- 
main crooked  and  broken  in  conscience  and  will 
who  grips  the  hand  of  the  Lord  of  Life. 


230 


AUGUST    ni^e    Seventeenth 


THE  PSALM  OF  PRAISE 

Psalm  cvii.  1-15. 
IHE  miracle  of  deliverance  must  be 
followed  by  the  psalm  of  praise. 
There  are  multitudes  who  cry,  "  God 
be  merciful !  "  who  never  cry,  "  God 
be  praised  !  "  "  There  were  none  that 
returned  to  give  thanks  save  this  Samaritan." 
Ten  cleansed,  and  only  one  grateful !  "  Oh,  that 
men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  His  goodness !  " 
Many  a  blessing  becomes  stale  because  it  is  not 
renewed  by  thanksgiving.  Graces  that  are  re- 
ceived ungratefully  droop  like  flowers  deprived 
of  rain.  Yes,  gratitude  gives  sustenance  to 
blessings  already  received.  Therefore  "  in  every- 
thing give  thanks." 

But  emancipated  lives  are  not  only  to  break 
into  praise  before  God,  they  must  exercise  in 
confession  before  men.  "  Let  the  redeemed  of 
the  Lord  say  so !  "  Unconfessed  blessings  be- 
come like  the  Dead  Sea;  refused  an  outlet  they 
lose  their  freshness  and  vitality.  I  am  found  by 
the  Lord  in  order  that  I,  too,  may  be  a  seeker.  I 
receive  His  peace  in  order  that  I  may  be  a  peace- 
maker. I  am  comforted  in  order  that  I  "  may 
comfort  others  with  the  comfort  wherewith  I  am 
comforted  of  God."  Have  you  ever  received  a 
blessing ;  "  pass  it  on  !  "  Tell  the  story  of  thy  de- 
liverance to  the  enslaved,  that  he,  too,  may  find 
"  the  iron  gate  "  swing  open,  and  so  attain  his 
freedom. 


AUGUST  ^e 


EigKteentK 


THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  FIRSTBORN 

"Pray  for  the  peace  of  Jerusalem." — Psalm 
cxxii. 

ND  my  Jerusalem  is  "  the  church  of 
the  hving  God."  Do  I  carry  her  on 
my  heart  ?  Do  I  praise  God  for  her 
heritage,  and  for  her  endowment  of 
spiritual  glory?  And  do  I  remem- 
ber her  perils,  especially  those  parts  of  her  walls 
where  the  defences  are  very  thin,  and  can  be 
easily  broken  through  ?  Yes,  has  my  Church  any 
place  in  my  prayer,  or  am  I  robbing  her  of  part 
of  her  intended  possessions  ? 

And  is  the  entire  Jerusalem  the  subject  of  my 
supplication  ?  Or  do  I  only  think  of  a  corner  of 
it,  just  that  part  where  my  own  little  synagogue 
is  placed?  I  am  a  Congregationalist ;  do  I  re- 
member the  Anglican?  I  am  an  Anglican;  do  I 
remember  the  Quaker.  Am  I  thus  concerned 
only  with  a  small  section  of  Jerusalem,  or  does 
my  intercession  sweep  the  entire  city? 

"  They  shall  prosper  that  love  thee."  I  cannot 
be  healthy  if  I  am  bereft  of  fellowship.  If  I 
ignore  the  house  of  prayer  I  impoverish  my 
home.  The  peaceful  glow  of  the  fireside  is  not 
unrelated  to  the  coals  upon  the  common  altar. 
The  sacrament  is  connected  with  my  ordinary 
meal.  To  love  the  Church  of  Christ  is  to  become 
enriched  with  "  the  fulness  of  Christ." 


232 


AUGUST    ni^e    MineteentK 


IN  GREEN  PASTURES 

Psalm  xxiii. 
HIS  little  psalm  has  been  called  the 
nightingale  of  the  psalms.  It  sings 
"  in  the  shade  when  all  things  rest." 
It  makes  music  in  the  darkness ;  it 
gives  me  "  songs  in  the  night."  And 
what  does  it  sing  about? 

It  sings  of  God's  bounty  in  food  and  rest. 
"  Green  pastures  " ;  "  still  waters."  My  Lord 
knows  when  my  heart  is  faint,  when  it  needs  His 
reviving  food.  He  knows  when  my  heart  is  tired 
and  needs  His  sweet  rest.  "  He  restoreth  my 
soul." 

And  it  sings  of  the  God-appointed  way  across 
the  hill.  "  He  leadeth  me  in  paths  of  righteous- 
ness." He  makes  the  right  way  clear.  He 
walks  the  path  of  duty  with  me.  "  Yea, 
though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow 
I  will  fear  no  evil,  for  Thou  art  with  me." 

And  it  sings  of  the  feast  which  the  Lord  serves 
in  the  very  midst  of  my  foes.  "  He  spreadeth  a 
table  before  me  in  the  midst  of  mine  enemies." 
He  gives  me  the  fat  things  of  grace  in  the  very 
presence  of  frowning  circumstances. 

And  it  sings  of  the  providence  which  guards 
the  rear.  "  Goodness  and  mercy  shall  follow 
me !  "  God's  grace  comes  between  me  and  my 
yesterdays.  It  cuts  off  the  heredity  from  the  old 
Adam,  and  no  far-off  plague  comes  nigh  my 
dwelling. 


AUGUST    niie    TwentietK 


233 


FEEDING  THE  FLOCK 
Isaiah  xl.  i-ii. 

I  ERE  is  the  gracious  promise  of  pro- 
vision. "  He  shall  feed  His  flock 
like  a  Shepherd."  He  knows  the 
fields  where  my  soul  will  be  best 
nourished  in  holiness.  I  am  some- 
times amazed  at  His  choice.  He  takes  me  into 
an  apparent  wilderness,  but  I  find  rich  herbage  on 
the  unpromising  plain.  And  so  I  would  rest  in 
His  choice  even  when  it  seems  adverse  to  my 
good. 

And  here  is  the  gracious  promise  of  gentle  dis- 
crimination. "  He  shall  gather  the  lambs  in  His 
arm,  and  carry  them  in  His  bosom."  Says  old 
Trapp,  "  He  hath  a  great  care  of  His  little  ones, 
like  as  He  had  of  the  weaker  tribes.  In  their 
march  through  the  Wilderness  He  put  a  strong 
tribe  to  two  weak  tribes,  lest  they  should  faint  or 
fail."  Yes,  "  He  knoweth  our  frame."  He  will 
not  lay  upon  us  more  than  we  can  bear.  At  the 
back  of  every  commandment  there  is  a  promise 
of  adequate  resource.  His  askings  are  also  His 
enablings.  The  big  duty  means  that  we  shall 
have  a  big  lift.  And  when  we  are  tired  He  will 
lead  on  gently.  Such  is  the  grace  and  tender- 
ness of  the  Lord. 


Tw  en  t}? -first 


SATISFACTION 

"My  people  shall  be  satisfied  with  My  good- 
ness."— Jeremiah  xxxi.  10-14. 

ND  how  unlike  is  all  this  to  the  feasts 
of  the  world !  There  is  a  great  show, 
but  no  satisfaction.  There  is  much 
decorative  china,  but  no  nutritious 
food  or  drink.  "  Every  one  that 
drinketh  of  this  water  shall  thirst  again."  We 
rise  from  the  table,  and  our  deepest  cravings  are 
unappeased.  "  Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my 
soul  ?  "  We  know.  We  have  had  a  condiment, 
but  no  meat ;  a  showy  menu-card,  but  no  reviving 
feast. 

Nothing  but  the  goodness  of  the  Lord  can 
satisfy  the  soul.  Whatever  else  may  be  on  the 
table  of  life,  if  this  be  absent  we  shall  go  away 
unfed.  We  may  have  money,  and  pleasure,  and 
success,  and  fame,  but  they  are  all  delusive  husks 
if  the  grace  of  the  Lord  be  absent. 

This  is  the  real  furnishing  of  the  feast.  There 
are  vast  multitudes  of  things  I  can  do  without  if 
only  I  have  the  holy  bread  of  life  in  the  gracious 
Presence  of  my  Lord.  In  this  sphere  it  is  the 
Guest  who  makes  the  table !  "  Thou,  O  Christ, 
art  all  I  want !  "  "  Having  Him  we  have  all 
things."  A  glorious  satisfaction  possesses  the 
soul,  and  though  we  may  not  increase  our  worldly 
possessions,  we  do  something  better,  we  "  grow 
in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ." 


AUGUST    niie    Tv;enty-seconcl       235 


THE  SICK  AND  THE  LOST 

EZEKIEL  XXxiv.    1 1- 16. 

URELY  everybody  is  included  in  this 
redemptive  purpose  of  the  Lord  !  He 
is  looking  for  everybody,  for  every- 
body finds  a  place  in  His  holy  quest. 
He  is  seeking  the  "  lost "  sheep. 
The  one  that  has  v^^andered  far  away,  and  now  no 
longer  hears  the  sound  of  the  Shepherd's  voice ! 
The  one  that  is  carelessly  nibbling  the  herbage  on 
the  very  edge  of  perdition !  He  is  looking  for 
this  one.  Is  He  therefore  looking  for  thee  and 
me? 

He  is  seeking  "  that  which  was  driven  away." 
Some  hireling,  some  enemy  of  the  shepherd, 
drove  it  far  away  from  the  fold.  "  A  thief  and 
a  robber,"  for  his  own  purposes,  hath  done  this. 
And  the  Lord's  sheep  are  driven  away  by  "  prin- 
cipalities and  powers,"  and  by  the  violence  of 
wicked  men.  Some  impure  and  unworthy  pro- 
fessor of  religion  can  drive  a  whole  household 
from  the  fellowship  of  the  Church.  And  the 
Good  Shepherd  is  seeking  these.  Is  He  there- 
fore looking  for  thee  or  me? 

And  He  is  seeking  "  that  which  was  sick." 
And  some  of  the  Lord's  sheep  are  sickly.  The 
chill  of  disappointment,  or  failure,  or  bereave- 
ment has  blown  upon  them,  and  they  are  "  down." 
Or  they  have  been  feeding  on  illicit  pleasure. 
And  the  Lord  is  seeking  such.  Is  He  therefore 
seeking  thee  or  me  ? 


NOT  LOST  IN  THE  FLOCK 
"  I  know  My  sheep,  and  am  known  of  mine." — 
John  x.  7-16. 

HERE  is  mutual  tecognition,  and  in 

that  recognition  there  is  confidence 

and  peace. 

"  /  know  my  sheep."     He  knows 

us  one  by  one.  My  knowledge  of 
the  individual  wanes  in  proportion  as  the  multi- 
tude is  increased.  The  teacher  with  the  smaller 
class  has  the  deepest  intimacy  with  her  scholars. 
The  individual  is  lost  in  the  crowd.  But  not  so 
with  our  Lord.  There  are  no  "  masses  "  in  His 
sight.  However  big  the  crowd,  even  though  it 
be  "  a  multitude  which  no  man  can  number,"  we 
still  remain  individuals,  known  to  the  Lord  by 
name,  and  face,  and  personal  need,  li  thou 
art  away  from  the  fold,  thy  face  is  missed,  and 
the  Shepherd  is  away  in  search  of  thee ! 

"  And  I  am  known  of  mine."  And  the  knowl- 
edge deepens  with  every  day's  experience. 
There  are  false  shepherds  who  can  subtly  mimic 
the  Good  Shepherd,  and  in  my  early  discipleship 
I  am  liable  to  be  deceived.  The  devil  himself 
can  array  himself  like  a  shepherd,  and  imitate  the 
very  tones  of  the  Lord.  Therefore  must  I 
watch,  and  ever  watch.  But  here  is  my  hope  and 
inspiration.  Every  day  I  spend  with  my  Good 
Shepherd  sharpens  my  discernments,  enables  me 
to  see  through  the  outer  show  of  things,  and  to 
discriminate  between  the  false  and  the  true. 


AUGUST   n\xe    Tvoenty-fourtK 


THE  LORD'S  BODY 

"  I  have  finished  the  work  which  Thou  gavest 
Me  to  do." — John  xvii.  i-ii. 

HIS  quiet  confession  is  in  itself  a 
token  of  our  Lord's  divinity.  The 
serenity  in  which  He  makes  His 
claims  is  as  stupendous  as  the 
claims  themselves.  "  Finished," 
perfected  in  the  utmost  refinement,  to  the 
last,  remotest  detail !  Nothing  scamped,  nothing 
overlooked,  nothing  forgotten !  Everything 
which  concerns  thy  redemption  and  my  redemp- 
tion has  been  accomplished.     "  It  is  finished  !  " 

"  And  now  .  .  .  I  come  to  Thee."  The 
visible  Presence  is  withdrawn.  There  is  no 
longer  in  our  midst  a  Jesus  whose  body  we  can 
bruise  and  crucify.  "But  these  are  in  the 
world."  Yes,  and  His  disciples  are  now  His 
body.  He  becomes  reincarnated  in  them.  If 
they  refuse  Him  a  body.  He  has  none !  He  looks 
through  their  eyes,  listens  through  their  ears, 
speaks  through  their  lips,  ministers  through  their 
hands,  goes  on  sacred  pilgrimages  with  their 
feet !    "  Know  ye  not  that  ye  are  the  body  ?  " 

Does  my  discipleship  offer  my  Lord  a  limb? 
Can  He  communicate  with  the  world  through 
me?  Does  my  discipleship  multiply  His  powers 
of  expression?  Has  He  more  eyes,  more  ears, 
more  hands  because  I  am  a  member  of  His 
Church?     Or ? 


Twentry-fiftK 


IMPOTENT  ENEMIES 


of 


"  Who    shall   separate   us   from    the   love 
Christ?" — Romans  viii.  31-39. 

HO  can  get  between  the  love  of  Christ 
and  me  ?  What  sharp  dividing  min- 
ister can  cleave  the  two  in  twain,  and 
leave  me  like  a  dismembered  and 
dying  branch? 
Terrible  experiences  cannot  do  it.  "  Tribula- 
tion, distress,  persecution,  famine,  nakedness, 
peril,  or  sword!  "  All  these  may  come  about  my 
house,  but  they  cannot  reach  the  inner  sanctu- 
ary where  my  Lord  and  I  are  closeted  in  loving 
communion  and  peace.  They  may  bruise  my 
skin,  nay,  they  may  give  my  body  to  be  burned, 
but  no  flame  can  destroy  the  love  of  Jesus  which 
enswathes  my  sovil  with  invisible  defence. 

And  terrible  ministers  cannot  do  it.  "  Angels, 
nor  principalities,  nor  pozvers."  These  mysteri- 
ous agents  of  darkness,  for  they  must  be  the 
legions  of  the  evil  one,  are  unable  to  quench  the 
light  and  fire  of  my  Saviour's  love.  The  devil 
can  never  blow  out  the  lamp  of  grace. 

And  terrible  death  itself  cannot  do  it.  Death 
does  not  separate  me  from  Jesus ;  death  is  the 
Lord's  minister  to  lead  me  into  deeper  privilege 
and  ripe  experiences  of  grace  and  love.  There- 
fore, "  I  will  lay  me  down  in  peace,  and  take  my 
rest." 


AUGUST   niie    Twent3?-5ixth  239 


MISSING  THE  LORD 
■    "  Thou  knowest  not  the  time  of  thy  visitation." 
— Luke  xix.  37-44. 

ES,  that  has  been  my  sad  experience. 
I  have  wasted  some  of  my  wealthiest 
seasons.  I  have  treated  the  hour  as 
common  and  worthless,  and  the 
priceless  opportunity  has  passed. 
There  have  been  times  when  my  Lord  has  come 
to  me,  and  I  have  turned  Him  away  from  my 
door.  He  so  often  journeys  "  incognito,"  and  if  I 
am  thoughtless  I  dismiss  Him,  and  so  lose  the 
privilege  of  heavenly  communion  and  benediction. 
He  knocks  at  my  door  as  a  Carpenter,  and  the 
humble  attire  deceives  m.e,  and  I  treat  Him  with 
scant  courtesy,  and  sometimes  with  contempt.  I 
know  not  the  time  of  my  visitation. 

He  comes  to  me  in  the  guise  of  needy  people 
— as  sick,  or  hungry,  or  a  stranger,  and  I  cannot 
be  troubled  with  His  presence.  I  dismissed  Him 
as  a  pauper,  little  knowing  that  I  was  turning 
away  a  millionaire !  I  knew  not  the  time  of  my 
visitation  !  "  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  Me 
no  meat,"  and  so  we  missed  the  bread  of  life. 

And  so  there  is  nothing  for  it,  but  to  be  al- 
ways "  on  the  watch."  I  must  treat  everybody 
as  though  everybody  was  the  Christ.  And  I 
must  treat  every  commonplace  moment  as 
though  it  were  the  home  of  the  eternal. 


AUGUST 


Twenty-seventh 


WHAT  ABOUT  TO-MORROW? 

Joshua  xxiv.  1-15. 

T  is  not  mine  to  worry  about  the  com- 
ing day,  but  to  fill  the  immediate 
moment  with  radiant  duty.  My 
Lord  is  the  Pioneer,  the  great  Maker 
of  roads,  and  He  will  see  to  the  ap- 
pointments and  provisions  of  the  way.  He  has 
His  scouts.  His  advance  guard,  His  miners  and 
sappers  opening  the  highway  across  the  waste ! 
"  I  will  send  mine  angel  before  thee !  "  "I  will 
send  hornets  before  you !  "  Yes,  the  Lord  will 
look  after  the  road.  What,  then,  am  I  called  to 
do?    Let  me  find  the  answer  in  the  14th  verse. 

"Fear  the  Lord!"  The  Lord  must  be  the 
sovereign  thought  in  my  life.  All  true  and  well- 
proportioned  living  must  begin  in  well-propor- 
tioned thought.  God  must  be  my  biggest  thought, 
and  from  that  thought  all  others  must  take  their 
colour  and  their  range. 

"Put  away  the  gods."  My  supreme  homage 
must  not  be  shared  among  many,  it  must  be  given 
to  One.  When  the  Lord  is  enthroned  as  King 
all  usurpers  must  be  banished.  When  He  comes 
to  His  own  the  others  go  into  exile. 

"  Serve  ye  the  Lord."  My  strength  must  be 
enlisted  with  my  loyalty.  I  must  not  merely 
shout ;  I  must  work.  I  must  not  merely  clap  my 
hands  when  the  King  goes  by,  I  must  consecrate 
those  hands  in  sacrificial  service. 


AUGUST    Olxe    Twenty-eigKtK 


241 


WISDOM  AND  UNDERSTANDING 

"  The  fear  of  the  Lord,  that  is  wisdom." — Job 
xxviii.   12-28. 

ERE  learning  will  not  make  me 
wise.  The  path  to  wisdom  is  not 
necessarily  through  the  schools.  The 
brilliant  scholar  may  be  an  arrant 
fool.  True  wisdom  is  found,  not  in 
mental  acquisitions,  but  in  a  certain  spiritual  re- 
lation. The  wise  man  is  known  by  the  pose  of  his 
soul.  He  is  "inclined  toward  the  Lord!"  He 
has  returned  unto  his  rest,  and  he  finds  light  and 
vision  in  the  fellowship  of  his  Lord. 

"  To  depart  from  evil  is  understanding."  Yes, 
I  need  the  lens  of  purity  if  I  am  to  see  the  secrets 
of  things.  A  dirty  lens  is  the  explanation  of 
much  ignorance  and  obscurity.  I  do  not  think 
I  can  ever  see  a  flower  if  my  lens  is  defiled. 
Much  less  can  I  see  *'  the  things  of  others."  And 
still  less  again  can  I  enjoy  "  the  secret  of  the 
Lord."  What  we  want  is  not  so  much  a  theo- 
logical training  as  a  right  spirit,  not  so  much  to 
go  to  school  as  to  "  depart  from  evil."  When  I 
leave  an  evil  habit  worlds  unseen  begin  to  show 
their  glory.  "  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for 
they  shall  see  God." 


242       AUGUST 


Twenty -ninth 


THE  RICHES  OF  SPIRITUALITY 
Proverbs  iv.  1-13. 
ET  me  review  some  of   these   riches 
which  are  conferred  upon  the  man 
who  has  made  his  soul    the    guest- 
room of  spiritual  religion. 

"  Love  her,  and  she  shall  keep 
thee."  Spirituality  is  to  be  my  true  defence.  All 
other  ramparts  are  vulnerable.  They  are  the 
happy  hunting-ground  of  the  ravages  of  time ; 
they  fail  in  the  crisis ;  they  are  the  sure  victims 
of  moth  and  rust.  But  spirituality  keeps  me 
from  childhood  to  age,  and  its  shields  are  in- 
vincible, even  in  the  hour  of  death.  "  There 
shall  no  evil  befall  thee.'' 

"  Exalt  her,  and  she  shall  promote  thee."  She 
will  lead  me  in  the  paths  of  progress.  Every  day 
she  will  lead  me  to  new  conquests,  and  in  con- 
stantly enriching  character  I  shall  move  towards 
life's  appointed  goal.  Holiness  is  the  only  suc- 
cess worth  having.  Other  successes  are  like 
lamps  whose  trembling  flames  are  blown  out  in 
the  first  gusty,  stormy  night.  "  But  the  path  of 
the  just  is  as  a  shining  light  that  shineth  more 
and  more  even  unto  perfect  day." 

"  She  shall  give  to  thine  head  an  ornament  of 
grace."  Yes,  and  her  adornments  are  always 
beautiful.  No  beauty  ever  steals  into  the  hu- 
man face  comparable  with  the  delicate  presence  of 
spirituality.  It  makes  plain  features  lovely,  and 
transfigures  them  with  "  the  glory  of  the  Lord." 


AUGUST    OKe    TKirtietK 


243 


HOW   TO  DELIGHT  IN  THE   WORD 

Psalm  cxix.  97-104. 

]\IAN  may  measure  his  growth  in 
grace  by  his  growing  delight  in  the 
speech  of  the  Lord.  When  His 
words  are  unwelcome  in  my  ears, 
when  they  are  an  intrusion  which 
mars  my  pleasures,  it  is  clear  I  am  still  in  the  far 
country  of  revolt.  But  if  His  words  make 
"  music  in  my  ears,"  if  the  Lord's  conversation  is 
the  very  marrow  of  the  feast,  then  I  have  en- 
tered into  the  circle  of  His  intimate  friends. 
When  His  words  taste  sweet,  even  with  a  bare 
board,  I  am  "  in  heavenly  places  with  Christ." 

And  how  can  I  attain  unto  this  spiritual  de- 
light ?  Well,  first  of  all  I  must  make  "  His  testi- 
monies my  meditations."  Our  doctors  tell  us 
that  the  only  way  to  taste  the  real  savour  of  food 
is  to  masticate  it  well.  Bolted  food  never  un- 
locks its  essences.  And  meditation  is  just 
mental  mastication.  To  "  turn  the  word  over  " 
in  my  mind  will  help  to  disburden  its  treasure. 

And  then  I  must  diligently  put  the  word  into 
practice.  "  /  have  not  departed  from  Thy  jndg- 
ments."  There  is  nothing  like  obedience  for  set- 
ting free  a  spiritual  essence.  "  The  secret  of  the 
Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  Him." 


244 


AUGUST    ^l^e    TKirty-fJrst 


THE  REAL  GAINS  AND  LOSSES 

"  Godliness  with  contentment  is  great  gain." — 
I  Timothy  vi.  6-16. 

|ND  so  I  must  go  into  my  heart  if  I 
would  make  a  true  estimate  of  my 
gains  and  losses.  The  calculation  is 
not  to  be  made  in  my  bank-books,  or 
as  I  stride  over  my  broad  acres,  or 
inspect  my  well-filled  barns.  These  are  the  mere 
outsides  of  things,  and  do  not  enter  into  the  real 
balance-sheet  of  my  life.  We  can  no  more  esti- 
mate the  success  of  a  life  by  methods  like  these 
than  we  can  adjudge  an  oil-painting  by  the  sense 
of  smell. 

What  is  my  stock  of  godliness?  That  is  one 
of  the  test  questions.  What  are  my  treasures  of 
contentment?  What  about  peace  and  joy,  and 
hallowed  and  blessed  carelessness?  How  much 
pure  laughter  rings  in  my  life?  How  much  bird- 
music  is  heard  in  the  chambers  of  my  heart?  Is 
the  note  of  praise  to  be  found  in  the  streets  of  my 
soul?  Am  I  rich  in  these  things  or  pathetically 
poor  ?  "  By  these  things  men  live,"  and  there- 
fore of  these  things  will  I  make  my  balance- 
sheet  and  reckon  up  my  gains. 


SEPTEMBER  Hlxe  First 


245 


THE  VIRTUE  OF  PROPORTION 
Matthew  vi.  25-34. 
MUST  put  first  things  first.  The 
radical  fault  in  much  of  my  living  is 
want  of  proportion.  I  think  more  of 
pretty  window  curtains  than  of  fresh 
air,  more  of  "  nice  "  wallpaper  than 
of  the  moving  pageant  of  the  skies.  I  magnify 
the  immediate  desire  and  minimize  the  ultimate 
goal.  And  so  "  things  do  not  come  right ! " 
How  can  they  when  the  apportionment  is  so  per- 
verse, when  everything  is  topsy-turvy?  If  I  want 
things  to  be  firm  and  durable  I  must  revere  the 
Divine  order,  and  must  put  first  things  first. 
"Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His 
righteousness." 

And,  therefore,  I  must  seek  holiness  before 
success.  I  am  to  esteem  holiness  with  apparent 
failure  as  infinitely  better  than  success  with  stain 
and  shame. 

I  must  seek  character  before  reputation.  The 
applause  of  the  world  must  be  as  nothing  com- 
pared with  the  approbation  of  God.  The  favour- 
ing "  voice  from  heaven  "  must  be  sweeter  to  my 
ears  than  the  noisy  cheers  of  the  crowd. 

And  I  must  seek  righteousness  before  quiet- 
ness. The  way  of  disturbance  is  sometimes  the 
way  to  peace.  I  must  not  be  so  concerned  for  a 
quiet  life  as  for  a  life  that  is  "  right  with  God." 


246 


SEPTEMBER  Hl^e  Second 


PRAYER  AND  REVOLUTION 
John  iv.  43-54. 

HIS  miracle  began  in  a  prayer.  The 
nobleman  went  unto  Jesus  "  and  be- 
sought Him."  In  such  apparently- 
fragile  things  can  mighty  revolutions 
be  born !  "  Prayer,"  said  Tennyson, 
"  opens  the  sluice-gates  between  us  and  the  In- 
finite." It  brings  the  frail  wire  into  contact  with 
the  battery.     It  links  together  man  and  God. 

Prayer  was  corroborated  by  belief.  "  The 
man  believed  the  word  that  Jesus  spake  unto 
him."  By  our  faith  we  cut  the  channels  along 
which  the  healing  energy  will  flow.  Faith  "  pre- 
pares the  way  of  the  Lord."  Our  faith  is  pur- 
posed to  be  a  fellow-laborer  with  grace,  and,  if 
faith  be  absent,  grace  "  can  do  no  mighty  works." 
The  healing  begins  with  the  faith.  "  It  was 
at  the  same  hour  in  which  .  .  .  he  himself 
believed."  These  "  coincidences  "  are  inevitable 
happenings  in  the  realm  of  the  Spirit.  When  we 
ofifer  the  believing  prayer,  God's  mighty  energies 
begin  to  besiege  the  life  for  which  the  prayer  is 
made.  Mr.  Cornaby,  the  Methodist  missionary, 
declares  how  conscious  he  is  in  far-away  China 
when  someone  is  interceding  for  him  in  the  home- 
land !  The  power  possesses  him  in  vitalizing 
flood !  Hudson  Taylor's  mother  shuts  herself  in 
a  little  room  to  pray,  and  eighty  miles  away  her 
son  is  converted. 


SEPTEMBER  OKe  TKird 


247 


MY  SHARE  IN  THE  MIRACLE 
John  ii.  i-ii. 
UR  Lord  always  demands  our  best. 
He  will  not  work  with  our  second- 
best.  His  gracious  "  extra  "  is  given 
when  our  own  resources  are  ex- 
hausted. We  must  do  our  best  be- 
fore our  Master  will  do  His  miracle.  We  must 
"  fill  the  water-pots  with  water " !  We  must 
bring  "  the  five  loaves  and  two  fishes " !  We 
must  "  let  down  the  net  " !  We  must  be  willing 
"  to  be  made  whole,"  and  we  must  make  the  ef- 
fort to  rise !    Yes,  the  Lord  will  have  my  best. 

Our  Lord  transforms  our  best  into  His  better. 
He  changes  water  into  wine.  He  turns  the 
handful  of  seed  into  a  harvest.  Our  aspirations 
become  inspirations.  Our  willings  become  mag- 
netic with  the  mystic  power  of  grace.  Our  bread 
becomes  sacramental,  and  He  Himself  is  re- 
vealed to  us  at  the  feast.  Our  ordinary  converse 
becomes  a  Divine  fellowship,  and  "our  hearts 
burn  within  us  "  as  He  talks  to  us  by  the  way. 
And  our  Lord  ever  keeps  His  best  wine  until 
the  last.  "  Greater  things  than  these  shall  ye 
do !  "  "I  will  see  you  again,"  and  there  shall 
be  grander  transformations  still !  "  The  best  is 
yet  to  be."  "  Dreams  cannot  picture  a  world  so 
fair."  "  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard, 
neither  hath  it  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to 
conceive  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared  for 
them  that  love  Him." 


248 


SEPTEMBER  Ote  Fourth 


A  PORTRAIT  OF  A  GREAT  SUPPLIANT. 

Matthew  viii.  5-13. 

ERE  we  have  the  grace  of  sympathy; 
one  man  troubled  about  the  sickness 
of  another.  We  are  drawing  very 
near  to  the  Lord  when  our  soul  vi- 
brates responsively  to  another  man's 
need.  We  can  measure  our  likeness  to  the  Lord 
by  the  range  of  our  sensitiveness  to  the  world's 
sorrow  and  pain.  Our  God  is  the  "  Father  of 
pities " ;  He  is  sensitive  in  every  direction,  no 
side  is  numb,  and  we  are  putting  on  His  likeness 
in  proportion  as  we  attain  an  all-round  respon- 
siveness to  the  cries  of  human  need. 

And  here  we  have  the  grace  of  humility.  "  I 
am  not  worthy !  "  Our  pride  always  blocks  "  the 
way  of  the  Lord."  Our  humility  makes  us  po- 
rous to  the  Divine.  The  "  poor  in  spirit  "  are 
already  in  the  kingdom,  and  the  gracious  powers 
of  the  kingdom  are  commanded  to  attend  their 
bidding. 

And  here  we  have  the  grace  of  faith.  "  Only 
say  the  word ! "  The  centurion  conceives  the 
Lord's  words  as  soldiers  attending  on  the  Lord's 
will.  Let  one  be  spoken,  and  at  once  the  mission 
is  executed.  And  so  it  is.  "  The  words  that  I 
speak  unto  you,  they  are  spirit  and  they  are  life." 
His  words  are  vehicles  of  power,  and  when  they 
are  spoken,  miracles  are  always  wrought.  "  The 
entrance  of  Thy  word  giveth  light." 


SEPTEMBER  OKe  FiftK 


249 


FAITH  AND  RIDICULE 

Matthew  ix.  18-26. 

TD,  so  one  man's  faith  is  more  than  a 
match  for  many  people's  scorn.  The 
steady  trust  of  the  ruler  was  not 
shaken  by  the  rude  flippancy  of  the 
artificial  mourners,  and  his  daughter 
was  brought  from  the  dead.  "  This  is  the  victory 
that  overcometh,  even  our  faith."  Everything 
bows,  like  fragile  reeds,  before  the  march  of  a 
victorious  faith.  Scorn,  and  hatred,  and  all  man- 
ner of  devilry,  and  death  itself,  all  lose  their 
power  in  the  presence  of  a  belief  which  remains 
steady  and  steadfast.  "  Said  I  not  unto  thee  that, 
if  thou  wouldst  believe,  thou  shouldst  see  the 
glory  of  God  ?  " 

And  what  an  infinite  reservoir  of  power  is 
waiting  to  be  tapped  by  the  hand  of  faith !  A 
ruler  believes  and  his  daughter  is  vitalized.  A 
poor  woman,  bent  and  broken,  reaches  out  her 
thin,  frail  hand,  and  lo !  she  is  erect  and  graceful 
as  the  pine  !  And  "  my  sufficiency  is  of  God !  " 
All  that  I  may  need  is  in  the  same  wonderful 
reservoir  of  grace.  That  healing  flood  is  like  the 
ocean  fulness,  and  it  will  fill  every  bay,  and  cove, 
and  creek  in  the  wide-stretching  shore  of  human 
need. 

"  The  healing-  of  His  seamless  dress 
Is  by  our  beds  of  pain, 
We  touch  Him  in  life's  throng  and  press, 
And  we  are  whole  again." 


250 


SEPTEMBER  OTKe  Sixth 


CONTEMPTUOUS  WORDS 
Matthew  xv.  21-28. 

WONDER  if  this  word  "clogs" 
was  my  Saviour's  word,  or  had  He 
picked  it  up  from  the  disciples  that 
He  might  cast  it  away  again  for 
ever?  Did  He  use  it  that  He  might 
reveal  its  ugliness,  and  so  banish  it  from  human 
speech?  As  Jesus  and  His  disciples  came  along 
the  road  the  Master  walked  before  them.  "  And 
behold,  a  Canaanitish  woman  came  out  from  those 
borders  !  ''  And  the  disciples  whispered  to  one  an- 
other, "  Here  comes  one  of  the  dogs  !  "  And  the 
Master  overheard  it,  and  His  tender  spirit 
grieved.  And  there  and  then  He  resolved  to 
help  the  woman  and  at  the  same  time  cleanse  the 
men. 

Is  there  not  therefore  something  half-ironical 
in  our  Saviour's  use  of  the  word?  When  He 
spake  of  the  woman  as  a  "  dog,"  and  of  the  dis- 
ciples as  "  the  children,"  would  there  not  be 
something  significant  in  His  very  looks  and 
tones  ?  These  cold,  unfeeling  men  "  the  chil- 
dren," and  this  tender  yearning  woman  the 
"  dog  " ! 

When  the  Lord  used  the  disciples'  word  they 
began  to  be  ashamed,  and  in  the  fire  of  their 
shame  their  self-conceit  was  consumed.  He 
turned  with  impatient  longing  to  the  woman,  "  O, 
woman,  great  is  thy  faith ;  be  it  unto  thee  even  as 
thou  wilt." 


SEPTEMBER  ^e  SeventK 


251 


EXPERIMENT  AND  EXPERIENCE 
Hebrews  xi.  1-6. 
LIKE  the  marginal  rendering  of  the 
introductory  sentence  of  this  great 
chapter.  "  Faith  is  the  giving  sub- 
stance to  things  hoped  for."  Faith 
converts  cloudy  castles  into  substan- 
tial homes.  Faith  substantiates  the  unseen.  Faith 
sucks  the  energy  out  of  splendid  ideals,  and  in- 
corporates it  in  present  and  immediate  life. 
Faith  unfolds  the  eternal  in  the  moment,  the  in- 
finite in  the  trifle,  the  divine  in  the  commonplace. 
Faith  incorporates  God  and  man.  Yes,  faith 
gives  substance  to  "  things  hoped  for,"  it  brings 
them  out  of  the  air,  and  gives  them  reality  and 
movement  in  the  hard  and  common  ways  of 
earth  and  time. 

And  faith  is  also  "  the  test  of  things  not  seen." 
By  a  test  faith  gains  a  conquest.  By  an  experi- 
ment faith  acquires  an  experience.  ,By  a  great 
speculation  faith  makes  a  great  discovery.  "  Try 
me  now  herewith,  and  prove  Me !  "  It  is  an  in- 
vitation to  humble  and  sincere  assumption.  Try 
if  it  works !  Make  a  hallowed  experiment  with 
the  powers  of  grace. 

Lord,  incline  me  to  make  the  gracious  test! 
Let  me  stake  my  all  upon  the  venture !  Let  me 
dare  all  in  order  that  I  may  gain  all !  Let  me  sow 
bountifully,  and  so  reap  a  bountiful  harvest. 


252 


SEPTEMBER  ^Ihe  EigKtK 


THE  BRACING  AIR  OF  PUBLICITY 
Romans  x.  1-13. 
HERE  is  a  belief  which  never 
registers  itself  in  confession.  It 
never  exercises  itself  in  the  strong, 
bracing  air  of  publicity.  It  is  a 
cloistered  belief,  and  suffers  from 
want  of  ventilation.  Such  Christians  are  always 
anaemic ;  indeed,  they  are  always  puny,  and  never 
get  beyond  the  stage  of  spiritual  babyhood.  "  Ye 
are  yet  babes !  "  Belief  which  is  never  oxygen- 
ated by  open  confession  can  never  nourish  the 
soul  into  vigorous  and  exhilarant  health. 

But  there  is  a  belief  which  expresses  and  con- 
firms itself  in  confession.  "  With  the  month 
confession  is  made  unto  salvation."  Such  con- 
fession is  a  means  of  moral  and  spiritual  health. 
And  confession  in  the  early  days  meant  risk,  ven- 
ture which  exposed  the  life  to  the  shedding  of 
blood.  It  meant  a  frank  defiance  of  the  world, 
and  an  eager  challenge  of  the  devil.  And  it  is 
on  such  fields  of  open  encounter  for  the  Lord 
that  muscle  is  made,  and  the  soul  goes  "  from 
strength  to  strength,"  and  "  from  glory  to  glory." 
My  soul,  art  thou  secretly  ashamed  of  thy 
Lord?  Art  thou  afraid  to  "lift  high  His  royal 
banner  "  ?  Then  thou  wilt  always  be  as  a  feather- 
bed soldier,  and  the  trophies  of  the  honourable 
war  are  not  for  thee.  Stand  out  in  the  open,  and 
boldly  testify,  "  As  for  me  and  my  house,  we  will 
serve  the  Lord !  " 


SEPTEMBER  OKe  MintK 


253 


DEALING  WITH  SIN 

Psalm  xxxii. 

ERE  is  the  burden  of  unconfessed  sin. 
"  When  I  kept  silence  my  bones 
waxed  old."  There  is  nothing 
brings  on  premature  age  like  secret 
sin.  It  keeps  the  mind  in  perpetual 
unrest,  and  a  troubled  mind  soon  makes  the  body- 
old.  The  real  nourisher  of  the  body  is  a  quiet 
and  radiant  soul.  But  let  the  soul  be  in  chaos, 
and  the  body  will  soon  be  a  ruin. 

And  here,  too,  is  the  healthy  act  of  confession. 
"  /  acknowledged  my  sin  unto  Thee,  and  mine  in- 
iquity have  I  not  hid."  He  retained  no  single 
germ  of  the  whole  unclean  brood.  He  brought 
them  out  into  the  light  one  by  one,  as  though  he 
were  emptying  a  noisome  kennel.  He  brought 
them  out,  and  named  them,  in  the  awful  Presence 
of  the  Lord. 

And  here  is  the  ministry  of  forgiveness,  and 
therefore  the  miracle  of  restored  health.  Let  me 
mark  the  rich  variety  of  the  descriptive  words. 
"  Forgiven! "  "  Covered!  "  "  Imputed  not!  " 
It  is  all  removed  and  obliterated,  and  the  place  of 
defilement  and  profanity  becomes  the  holy  temple 
of  the  Lord. 


254 


SEPTEMBER  ^Ike  TentK. 


CRITICISM  AND  PIETY 

"  Thinkest  thou,  that  judgest  them  that  do  such 
things,  that  thou  shalt  escaped " — Romans  ii. 
i-ii. 

HAT  is  always  my  peril,  to  assume 
that  by  being  severe  with  others  I 
exculpate  myself.  I  go  on  to  the 
j  bench,  and  deliver  sentence  upon  my 
brother,  when  my  proper  place  is  in 
the  dock.  And  this  is  the  subtlety  of  the  snare, 
that  I  regard  my  criticisms  and  condemnations  of 
other  people  as  signs  of  my  own  innocence.  This 
is  the  last  refinement  in  temptation,  and  multi- 
tudes fall  before  its  power. 

The  way  to  moral  and  spiritual  health  is  to  di- 
rect my  criticisms  upon  myself.  I  must  stand  in 
the  dock,  and  hear  the  grave  indictment  of  my 
own  soul.  Unless  I  pass  through  the  second 
chapter  of  Romans  I  can  never  enter  the  fifth  and 
sixth,  and  still  less  the  glorious  forgiveness  of  the 
eighth.  "  There  is  therefore  now  no  condemna- 
tion to  them  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus."  I  pass 
into  that  warm,  cheery  light  through  the  cold 
road  of  acknowledged  guilt  and  sin. 

"  If  we  confess  our  sins  He  is  just  to  forgive 
us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  un- 
righteousness." 


SEPTEMBER  Hlie  EleventK 


255 


A  FATAL  DIVORCE 

"  They  feared  the  Lord,  and  served  their  own 
gods." — 2  Kings  xvii.  24-34. 

ND  that  is  an  old-world  record,  but  it 
is  quite  a  modern  experience.  The 
kinsmen  of  these  ancient  people  are 
found  in  our  own  time.  Men  still 
fear  one  God  and  serve  another. 
But  something  is  vitally  wrong  when  men  can 
divorce  their  fear  from  their  obedience.  And 
the  beginning  of  the  wrong  is  in  the  fear  itself. 
"  Fear,"  as  used  in  this  passage,  is  a  counterfeit 
coin,  which  does  not  ring  true  to  the  truth.  It 
means  only  the  payment  of  outward  respect,  a 
formal  recognition,  a  passing  nod  which  we  give 
on  the  way  to  something  better.  It  is  a  mere  skin 
courtesy  behind  which  there  is  no  beating  heart ; 
a  hollow  convention  in  which  there  is  no  deep 
and  sacred  awe. 

But  the  real  "  fear  of  God  "  is  a  spiritual  mood 
in  which  virtue  thrives,  an  atmosphere  in  which 
holy  living  is  quite  inevitable.  "  The  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  clean."  It  is  not  lip-worship,  but  heart- 
homage,  a  reverence  in  which  the  soul  is  always 
found  upon  its  knees.  And  so  "  the  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  to  hate  evil  " ;  it  is  an  indignant  repul- 
sion from  all  that  is  hateful  to  God.  It  is  the 
sharing  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.  There  cannot 
be  any  true  fear  where  the  soul  does,  not  wor- 
ship "  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 


256 


SEPTEMBER  Hl^e  TxvelftK, 


THE  GARMENTS  OF  THE  SOUL 

Joel  ii.  12-19. 

AM  so  apt  to  think  that  the  rending- 
of  an  outer  garment  is  a  token  of 
true  penitence  and  amendment  of 
life.  But  it  is  the  inner  garments  I 
must  deal  with,  the  raiments  and 
habits  of  the  soul.  Some  of  these  robes — such  as 
vanity  and  pride — are  as  gay  and  showy  as  a 
peacock;  others  are  dirty  and  leprous,  and  we 
should  not  dare  to  bring  them  to  the  door,  and 
display  them  in  the  light.  But  all  need  severe 
treatment;  they  must  be  torn,  fibre  from  fibre, 
and  reduced  to  rags. 

But  "  rending "  must  be  accompanied  by 
"  turning."  "  Turn  unto  the  Lord  your  God." 
For  the  Lord  our  God  is  gracious,  and  His  love 
will  not  only  provide  a  new  wardrobe,  but  a 
swift  furnace  in  which  to  burn  the  remnants  of 
the  old.  Yes,  His  "  great  kindness  "  will  burn 
away  the  filth  of  my  alienation,  and  will  "  bring 
forth  the  best  robe  "  and  put  it  on  me.  The  good 
Lord  will  give  me  new  habits.  He  will  "  cover 
me  with  the  robe  of  righteousness,  and  the  gar- 
ment of  salvation." 


SEPTEMBER  OTie  TKirteentK 


257 


THE  CLEAN  HEART 

Psalm  li. 

HAT  will  the  Lord  do  with  my  sin, 
if  in  true  humility  I  come  into  His 
Presence  ?  Let  me  hear  the  music  of 
the  evangel. 

He  will  "  hlot  out  my  transgres- 
sion." He  will  so  erase  it  that  even  His  own 
holy  eyes  can  see  no  stain  or  shame.  He  will 
blot  it  out,  as  I  have  seen  a  gloomy  cloudlet 
blotted  out,  and  there  has  been  nothing  left  but 
radiant  sky. 

And  He  will  "wash  me  throughly  from  mine 
iniquity."  Yes,  and  that  not  like  the  washing  of 
the  hands,  but  like  the  washing  of  clothes,  not 
like  the  washing  of  a  surface,  but  the  removal  of 
uncleanness  from  a  fabric,  the  ousting  of  every 
germ  lurking  in  the  innermost  cells  of  the  stufif. 
When  the  Lord  washes  a  soul  it  is  "  throughly  " 
done,  and  every  strand  is  white  in  holiness. 

So  will  He  give  me  "  a  clean  heart " ;  so  will 
He  "  renew  a  right  spirit  within  me."  The  very 
atmosphere  of  my  life  shall  be  as  the  air  after 
deluges  of  cleansing  rain.  It  shall  be  sweet,  and 
clean,  and  clear !  I  shall  walk  in  a  new  inspira- 
tion, and  I  shall  "  behold  the  land  that  is  very 
far  off." 


258 


SEPTEMBER  Hlxe  FourteentK 


THE  SENSE  OF  WANT 

"  This  man  went  down  to  his  house  justified 
rather  than  the  other." — Luke  xviii.  9-14. 

HE  Master  sets  the  Pharisee  and 
publican  in  contrast,  and  His  judg- 
ment goes  against  the  man  who  has 
made  some  progress  in  moral  at- 
tainments, and  favours  the  man  who 
has  no  victories  to  show,  but  only  a  hunger  for 
victory.  The  dissatisfied  sinner  is  preferred  to 
the  self-satisfied  saint.  The  Pharisee  had  gained 
an  inch,  but  had  lost  his  sense  of  the  continent. 
The  publican  had  not  pegged  out  an  inch  of  moral 
claim,  but  he  had  an  overwhelming  sense  of  the 
untrodden  universe. 

So  this,  I  think,  is  the  teaching  for  me.  We 
are  justified  by  the  penitent  sense  of  want  and 
not  by  the  boastful  sense  of  possession.  Our 
sense  of  lack  is  the  measure  of  our  hope,  and  our 
measure  of  hope  determines  the  poverty  or  ful- 
ness of  our  communion  with  the  Lord.  The 
Pharisee  had  no  "  beyond,"  no  realm  of  admira- 
tion, no  hope !  Aspiration  was  dead,  and  there- 
fore inspiration  had  ceased.  Our  possibilities 
nestle  in  our  cravings. 


SEPTEMBER  Hlxe  FifteentK 


259 


RESTORING  A  RUINED  LIFE 
Psalm  ciii.  1-18. 
OULD  there  be  a  sweeter  chime  than 
the  opening  music  of  this  psalm? 

"  Who  forgiveth  all  thine  iniqui- 
ties." He  receives  me  back  home 
again,  interrupts  the  broken  story 
of  my  sin,  and  drowns  my  sobbings  in  His  re- 
joicings. 

"  Who  healeth  all  thy  diseases."  He  takes  in 
hand  the  foul  complaints  which  I  acquired  in 
"  the  far  country,"  and  with  His  powerful  medi- 
cines, and  His  wonderful  "  bread  of  life,"  He 
drives  the  foul  things  from  my  soul. 

"  Who  redeemeth  thy  life  from  destruction." 
Yes,  with  His  own  blood  He  buys  me  back  from 
a  midnight  servitude,  strikes  every  chain  and 
shackle  from  my  limbs,  and  makes  me  dance  in 
"  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God." 

"  Who  crowneth  thee  with  loving-kindness  and 
tender  mercy."  He  encircles  me  with  the  invul- 
nerable army  of  His  own  love.  Henceforth  if 
the  devil  would  get  at  me  he  must  deal  with  God. 
"  As  the  mountains  are  round  about  Jerusalem, 
so  the  Lord  is  round  about  His  people." 

"  Who  satisHeth  thy  mouth  with  good  things." 
He  sets  before  me  a  glorious  table,  and  enlivens 
my  spirits  with  glorious  fellowship.  That  so  I 
can  be  no  other  than  "  satisfied,"  and  my  heart 
is  at  rest  in  the  Lord.  "  Thou,  O  Christ,  art 
all  I  want !  " 


q6o 


SEPTEMBER  Hlxe  SixteentK 


THE   STEADFASTNESS    OF    THE   LORD 

"My  covenant  shall  stand  fast." — Psalm 
Ixxxix.  19-29. 

UCH  a  divine  assurance  ought  to 
make  me  perfectly  quiet  in  spirit. 
Restlessness  in  a  Christian  always 
spells  disloyalty.  The  uncertainty 
is  born  of  suspicion.  There  is  a  rift 
in  the  faith,  and  the  disturbing  breath  of  the 
devil  blows  through,  and  destroys  my  peace.  If 
I  am  sure  of  my  great  Ally,  my  heart  will  not  be 
troubled,  neither  will  it  be  afraid. 

And  such  a  divine  assurance  ought  to  make 
me  bold  in  will  and  majestic  in  labour.  I  ought 
to  be  inventive  in  chivalrous  enterprise,  and  I 
ought  to  covet  the  hardest  parts  of  the  field.  If 
the  mighty  Ally  will  never  fail,  I  should  never 
be  afraid  of  the  marshalled  hosts  of  wickedness. 
"  One  with  God  is  in  a  majority."  "  He  always 
wins  who  sides  with  God."  *'  The  Lord  is  on  my 
side,  whom  shall  I  fear  ?  " 

And  such  a  divine  assurance  ought  to  give  me 
a  kingly  demeanour.  The  members  of  the  Court 
acquire  a  certain  stateliness  by  their  lofty  fellow- 
ship. And,  surely,  one  who  walks  with  God 
should  be  characterized  by  something  of  the 
Divine  glory,  and  men  should  know  that  his  ac- 
quaintances are  found  in  the  courts  of  heaven. 


SEPTEMBER  OKe  Seventeenth 


261 


THE  NEVER-WITHERING  LEAF 

Jeremiah  xvii.  5-1 1. 

ET  me  look  at  "  the  blessed  man  "  in 
the  interpreting  symbol  of  this 
healthy  and  graceful  tree. 

The  blessed  life  is  a  life  of  vast 
resource.  "  As  a  tree  planted  by  the 
waters,  and  that  spreadeth  out  her  roots  by  the 
river."  It  is  not  watered  by  an  occasional  shower, 
it  is  unceasingly  bathed  by  the  vitalizing  flood. 
Its  rootlets  are  always  drinking  the  nutritious 
waters  of  grace.  The  blessed  life  is  planted  on 
the  banks  of  that  wonderful  river  which  takes  its 
rise  in  the  great  white  throne. 

And  just  because  of  these  boundless  supplies, 
the  blessed  life  is  undisturbed  in  times  of  grave 
crisis  and  emergency.  "  He  shall  not  see  when 
heat  Cometh."  He  shall  be  cool  when  the  un- 
blessed are  hot  and  fever-stricken.  He  shall 
"  keep  his  head  "  in  times  of  general  panic.  His 
powers  of  endurance  shall  make  the  world  won- 
der !  He  shall  "  hold  out "  when  everybody  else 
is  faint. 

So  shall  there  be  nothing  "  sere  and  yellow  " 
about  him.  "  His  leaf  shall  be  green."  His 
faith,  and  hope,  and  love  shall  remain  fresh  and 
beautiful  even  in  *'  the  dark  and  cloudy  day." 


262  SEPTEMBER  OKe  EigKteentK 


THE  ALL-ROUND  DEFENCE 
"  Thou  hast  beset  me  behind." — Psalm  cxxxix. 

1-12. 

^ND  that  is  a  defence  against  the 
enemies  which  would  attack  me  in 
the  rear.  There  is  yesterday's  sin, 
and  the  guilt  which  is  the  companion 
of  yesterday's  sin.  They  pursue  my 
soul  like  fierce  hounds,  but  my  gracious  Lord 
will  come  between  my  pursuers  and  me.  His 
mighty  grace  intervenes,  and  my  security  is  com- 
plete. 

"  Thou  hast  beset  me  .  .  .  before."  And  that 
is  a  defence  against  the  enemies  which  would 
impede  my  advance  and  frighten  me  out  of  the 
heavenly  way.  There  is  fear — fear  of  the  mor- 
row, fear  of  consequences,  fear  of  death !  And 
my  Lord  will  come  between  me  and  them,  and 
their  menace  shall  be  destroyed.  The  fiery  darts 
shall  be  quenched  before  they  reach  my  soul. 

"  And  laid  Thine  hand  upon  me."  And  that 
is  a  defence  against  the  enemies  which  may  lie 
in  ambush  in  present  and  immediate  circum- 
stances :  the  sudden  temptation  to  passion,  or  the 
temptation  to  panic,  or  the  temptation  which 
would  snare  me  to  criminal  ease.  But  my  Lord's 
hand  is  all-sufificient !  And  so  on  every  side  my 
defence  standeth ;  "  the  angel  of  the  Lord  en- 
campeth  round  about  them  that  fear  Him." 


SEPTEMBER  Hlxe  KfineteentK  263 


THE  NEEDS  OF  THE  BODY 
John  vi.  1-21. 
HE  Lord  who  came  to  save  His 
people  was  sensitive  to  His  people's 
hunger.  In  the  presence  of  the  su- 
preme need  the  smaller  need  was 
not  forgotten.  He  honoured  the 
body  as  well  as  the  soul.  He  ministered  to  the 
transient  as  well  as  the  eternal.  And  that  is  ever 
the  characteristic  of  true  kingliness;  it  has  a 
kingly  way  of  doing  the  smaller  things.  I  can 
measure  my  own  progress  toward  the  throne  by 
my  sovereign  attention  to  scruples.  "  He  that 
is  faithful  in  that  which  is  least,  the  same  also  is 
great." 

The  Lord  is  not  oppressed  by  the  multitude  of 
His  guests.  "  He  Himself  knew  what  He  would 
do."  We  need  not  jostle  one  another  for  His 
bounty.  We  shall  not  crowd  one  another  out. 
"  There  is  bread  enough  and  to  spare."  Even  in 
the  material  realm  this  is  true,  and  everybody 
would  have  his  daily  bread  if  the  will  of  the 
Lord  were  done.  There  is  no  straitness  in  the 
gracious  Host!  It  is  the  greed  of  the  guests 
which  mars  the  satisfaction  of  the  feast. 

And  how  careful  the  Lord  of  Glory  was  to 
"  gather  up  the  fragments " !  Our  infinitely 
wealthy  Lord  is  not  wealthy  enough  to  "  throw 
things  away."  He  cannot  afford  to  waste  bread. 
Can  He  afford  to  lose  a  soul  ?  "  He  goeth  out 
after  that  which  is  lost  until  He  find  it  " ! 


264 


SEPTEMBER  Hlte  TwentietK 


^i 


THE  PATHETIC  MULTITUDE 
Mark  viii.  1-9. 
Y  Lord  has  "  compassion  upon  the 
multitude."  And  (shall  I  reverently 
say  it?)  His  compassion  was  part  of 
His  passion.  His  pity  was  always 
costly.  It  culminated  upon  Calvary, 
but  it  was  bleeding  all  along  the  road !  It  was  a 
fellow-feeling  with  all  the  pangs  and  sorrows  of 
the  race.  And  a  pity  that  bleeds  is  a  pity  that 
heals.  "  In  His  love  and  in  His  pity  He  re- 
deemed us." 

And  the  multitude  is  round  about  us  still,  and 
the  people  are  in  peril  of  fainting  by  the  way. 
There  is  the  multitude  of  misfortune,  the  chil- 
dren of  disadvantage,  who  never  seem  to  have 
come  to  their  own.  And  there  is  the  multitude 
of  outcasts,  the  vast  army  of  publicans  and  sin- 
ners. And  there  are  the  bewildering  multitudes 
of  Africa,  and  India,  and  China,  and  they  have 
"  nothing  to  eat  " ! 

How  do  I  regard  them?  Do  I  share  the  com- 
passion of  the  Lord?  Do  I  exercise  a  sensitive 
and  sanctified  imagination,  and  enter  somewhat 
into  the  pangs  of  their  cravings  ?  My  Lord  calls 
for  my  help.  "  How  many  loaves  have  ye  ?  " 
"  Bring  out  all  you  have !  Consecrate  your  en- 
tire resources !  Put  your  all  upon  the  altar  of 
sacrifice !  "  And  in  reply  to  the  call  can  I  hum- 
bly and  trustfully  say^  "  O,  Lamb  of  God,  I 
come !  " 


SEPTEMBER  Hlie  Twenty-first 


265 


LIFE  AS  BREAD 
Mark  viii.  10-21. 
T  is  gracious  to  know  that  my  Lord 
is  "  the  Bread  of  Life,"  and  that  I 
can  feed  on  Him.  It  is  fearful  to 
know  that  I,  too,  am  bread,  and  that 
others  are  feeding  on  me.  Am  I  the 
nutriment  of  vice  or  the  sustenance  of  virtue? 
Am  I  an  evil  leaven,  like  the  Pharisees,  or  a  holy 
leaven  like  the  Lord?  When  little  children  feed 
on  my  presence  do  they  grow  in  strength  and 
beauty?  Or  do  they  become  relaxed  and  demor- 
alized? Who  will  feed  upon  me  to-day,  and 
what  will  be  the  end  of  it? 

If  I  would  have  my  life  to  be  as  hallowed  and 
hallowing  leaven  I  must  regularly  feed  upon  the 
Bread  of  Life.  If  I  am  sustained  by  the  Lord, 
I  too  shall  be  a  sustainer  of  all  who  aspire  after 
a  true  and  holy  life.  My  very  character  will 
itself  become  heavenly  bread,  and  men  will  be 
nourished  by  it  even  when  I  am  unconscious  of 
the  ministry.  When  they  have  spent  a  brief  hour 
in  my  company  they  will  go  away  refreshed. 

"  Lord,  evermore  give  us  this  bread !  "  So 
feed  us  with  Thyself  that  we  may  share  Thy 
nature.  Let  "  virtue "  go  forth  from  us,  and 
let  it  be  as  holy  bread  to  all  who  are  heavy-laden, 
and  ready  to  faint. 


266    SEPTEMBER  Hlie  Twenty-second 


THE  HANDFUL  OF  MEAL 
I  Kings  xvii.  8-16. 
HAT  marvellous  "  coincidences  "  are 
prepared  by  Providential  grace! 
The  poor  widow  is  unconsciously  or- 
dained to  entertain  the  prophet ! 
The  ravens  will  be  guided  to  the 
brook  Cherith !  "  I  have  commanded  them  to 
feed  thee  there."  Our  road  is  full  of  surprises. 
We  see  the  frowning,  precipitous  hill,  and  we 
fear  it,  but  when  we  arrive  at  its  base  we  find  a 
refreshing  spring!  The  Lord  of  the  way  had 
gone  before  the  pilgrim.  "  I  go  to  prepare  .  .  . 
for  you." 

But  how  strange  that  a  widow  with  only  "  a 
handful  of  meal  "  should  be  "  commanded  "  to 
offer  hospitality!  It  is  once  again  "the  impos- 
sible "  which  is  set  before  us.  It  would  have 
been  a  dull  commonplace  to  have  fed  the  prophet 
from  the  overflowing  larder  of  the  rich  man's 
palace.  But  to  work  from  an  almost  empty  cup- 
board !  That  is  the  surprising  way  of  the  Lord. 
He  delights  to  hang  great  weights  on  apparently 
slender  wires,  to  have  great  events  turn  on  seem- 
ing trifles,  and  to  make  poverty  the  minister  of 
"  the  indescribable  riches  of  Christ." 

The  poor  widow  sacrificed  her  "  handful  of 
meal,"  and  received  an  unfailing  supply.  And 
this,  too,  is  the  way  of  the  Lord. 

"  Whatever,  Lord,  we  lend  to  Thee, 
Repaid  a  thousand  fold  will  be." 


SEPTEMBER  Hlxe  Twenty-tKird      267 


THE  DEDICATION  OF  SUBSTANCE 

2  Kings  iv.  38-44. 

ERE  is  a  man  recognizing  the  sacred- 
ness  of  his  substance.  He  saw  the 
seal  of  the  Lord  upon  his  harvest, 
and  he  offered  the  first-fruits  in 
token  of  its  rightful  Owner.  Men 
go  wrong  when  the  only  name  upon  their  field 
is  their  own.  "  My  power,  and  the  strength  of 
my  hand  hath  gotten  me  this  wealth."  It  matters 
nothing  what  the  wealth  may  be — material  sub- 
stance, mental  skill,  or  business  sagacity.  It  be- 
comes unhallowed  power  when  we  attach  our 
own  label  to  it,  and  erase  the  name  of  God. 

This  man  dedicated  his  substance,  and  the 
hunger  of  his  fellows  was  appeased.  That  is  a 
great  principle  in  human  life.  One  man's  satis- 
faction is  dependent  on  another  man's  fidelity. 
His  want  is  to  be  filled  with  my  fulness.  If  I  am 
selfish  he  remains  hungry.  If  I  acknowledge 
"  the  rights  of  God,"  and  therefore  "  the  rights 
of  man,"  he  has  "  enough  and  to  spare."  If  I 
hoard  my  treasure  I  rob  both  God  and  man. 

My  gracious  Lord,  remove  the  scales  from  my 
eyes.  Help  me  to  be  sensitive  to  the  obligations 
of  all  wealth.  Let  my  plenty  call  me  to  the  chil- 
dren of  need.  Let  me  acknowledge  my  steward- 
ship, and  be  Thy  fellow  minister  in  the  service  of 
man. 


268        SEPTEMBER  CTKe  Twenty-fourtK 


AFTER  THE  TRIUMPH! 

Matthew  xiv.  23-33. 
jFTER  the  great  miracle  of  feeding 
the  multitude  our  Lord  "  went  iip 
into  a  mountain  to  pray."  May  we 
reverently  wonder  if  it  was  a  season 
of  temptation?  Did  they  want  to 
make  Him  a  King?  Was  our  human  Lord  as- 
sailed by  "  the  destruction  that  wasteth  at  noon- 
day "  ?  And  did  He  shut  Himself  up  with  the 
Father  ? 

I  am  so  disposed  to  pray  up  to  my  successes, 
and  to  cease  to  pray  in  them !  I  remember  God 
in  my  struggles,  I  forget  Him  in  my  attainments. 
I  hold  fellowship  with  Him  on  the  road,  I  part 
company  with  Him  when  I  arrive.  I  become  a 
practical  atheist  in  the  midst  of  my  successes. 
My  only  security  is  to  go  up  into  a  mountain 
apart  and  pray.  Unless  I  become  closeted  with 
God,  and  see  all  things  in  their  true  colours  and 
proportion,  I  shall  be  lifted  up  in  most  unholy 
and  destructive  pride. 

And  let  me  notice  that  our  Lord  returned  from 
His  privacy  with  the  Father  to  do  even  greater 
miracles  still.  He  had  appeased  the  pangs  of 
hunger ;  now  He  appeases  the  passion  of  the  sea. 
And  so  in  my  degree  shall  it  be  with  me.  If  in 
all  my  triumphs  I  remain  the  humble  companion 
of  the  Lord,  my  triumphs  shall  be  repeated  and 
enriched.  "  Greater  works  than  these  shall  ye 
do." 


SEPTEMBER  Hlie  Twenty-ffth 


269 


THE  SENSE  OF  GRACE 
Psalm  cvii.  21-32. 

VITAL  part  of  all  devotion  is  the 
remembrance  of  the  goodness  of 
God.  Such  a  remembrance  keeps  my 
soul  in  the  realm  of  grace.  I  am  so 
inclined  to  proclaim  my  personal 
rights  rather  than  glorify  the  favour  of  God,  so 
inclined  to  exhibit  my  own  prowess  rather  than 
God's  most  gracious  bounty.  And  whenever  I 
lose  the  sense  of  grace  I  become  a  usurper  and 
take  the  throne.  Our  salvation  is  "  not  of  works, 
lest  any  man  should  boast." 

And  such  a  remembrance  would  keep  my  soul 
in  the  mood  of  humility.  "  Nothing  in  my  hands 
I  bring."  I  can  no  more  claim  the  glory  of  sal- 
vation than  a  child,  who  has  cut  a  shallow  trench 
on  the  sands,  can  claim  the  glory  of  initiating  the 
roll  of  the  ocean-tide.  I  owe  all  my  desires  and 
all  my  hopes  and  all  my  present  attainments  to 
the  boundless  goodness  of  God. 

And  such  a  remembrance  would  keep  my  soul 
in  the  dispensation  of  love.  I  cannot  quietly 
and  steadily  contemplate  the  goodness  of  the 
Lord  without  my  soul  being  kindled  into  loving 
response.  Without  high  contemplations  love 
smoulders,  and  will  eventually  die  out.  But 
God's  goodness  inflames  the  soul,  and  communi- 
cates its  own  most  gracious  heat.  "  We  love  be- 
cause He  first  loved  us !  " 


270        SEPTEMBER  Olxe  Twenty-sixtK . 


MY  LORD  AS  MY  BREAD 

John  vi.  26-35. 

UR  life's  bread  is  a  Person.  We  may 
have  much  to  do  with  Christianity 
and  nothing  to  do  with  Christ.  The 
other  day  I  was  in  a  great  and  won- 
derful bakery,  but  I  never  ate  nor 
touched  a  morsel  of  bread.  I  touched  the  ma- 
chinery. I  was  absorbingly  interested  in  the  proc- 
esses, but  I  ate  no  bread !  And  I  may  be  deeply 
interested  in  the  means  of  grace,  I  may  be  fa- 
miliar with  all  "  the  ins  and  outs  "  of  ecclesiastical 
machinery,  and  I  may  never  handle  nor  taste 
"  the  bread  of  God."  Our  religion  is  dead  and 
burdensome  until  it  becomes  a  personal  relation, 
and  we  have  vital  communion  with  Christ. 

"  Thou,  O  Christ,  art  all  I  want."  We  find 
everything  in  Him.  Everything  else  is  prelimi- 
nary, preparatory,  subordinate,  and  to  be  in  the 
long  run  dropped  and  forgotten.  A  ritual  is  only 
a  way  to  "  the  bread,"  and  by  no  means  essen- 
tial, and  very  often  undesirable.  The  heart  can 
find  the  Lord  with  a  look,  with  a  cry,  and  needs 
no  obtrusion  of  ritual  or  priest.  But  how  pa- 
thetic! To  be  contented  to  potter  about  among 
the  ritual  and  never  to  find  the  Bread !  To  be  in 
the  house  and  never  to  see  the  Host !  **  Ye  search 
the  Scriptures  .  .  .  and  ye  will  not  come  to  Me." 


SEPTEMBER  Hlie  Twent3?-seventK  271 


TAKE  AND  EAT 

Joi-iN  vi.  52-63. 

I  HERE  is,  first  of  all,  appropriation. 
I  must  "  stretch  out  "  "  lame  hands 
of  faith  " ;  and  "  take  "  before  I 
"  eat."  In  the  lives  of  many  Chris- 
tians there  is  too  much  asking  and 
too  little  taking.  If  it  were  only  rightly  re- 
garded, prayer  is  companionship  as  well  as  pe- 
tition, and  companionship  is  literally  significant 
of  the  sharing  of  bread.  In  every  season  of  com- 
munion a  part  must  be  assigned  to  the  taking  of 
the  things  for  which  we  have  prayed.  "  Receive 
ye  the  Holy  Ghost." 

And  there  is  assimilation.  We  must  "  eat  " 
as  well  as  "  take."  It  is  in  the  exercises  of  obedi- 
ence that  we  digest  and  incorporate  the  bread  of 
life.  Without  our  obedience  the  living  Lord 
never  becomes  "  part  of  ourselves."  We  never 
"  become  one  in  the  bundle  of  life "  with  the 
Lord  our  God.  And  truth  which  is  not  as- 
similated becomes  a  drug.  Instead  of  being  a 
"  savour  of  life  unto  life,"  it  becomes  a  "  savour 
of  death  unto  death." 

And  there  is  vitalisation.  The  assimilated 
bread  of  life  makes  everything  alive.  Every  fac- 
ulty in  my  being  feels  the  touch  of  divine  in- 
spiration. It  is  native  bread  for  native  power, 
and  everything  is  renewed. 


272  SEPTEMBER  Hlie  T^vent3;-e^gKtK 


THE  DAILY  MANNA 

"I  will  rain  bread  from  heaven  for  you." — 
Exodus  xvi.  11-18. 

ND  this  gracious  provision  is  made 
for  people  who  are  complaining,  and 
who  are  sighing  for  the  flesh-pots  of 
Egypt!  Our  Lord  can  be  patient 
with  the  impatient :  He  can  be  "  kind 
to  the  unthankful."  If  it  were  easy  to  drive  the 
Lord  away  I  should  have  succeeded  long  ago.  I 
have  murmured,  I  have  sulked,  I  have  turned 
Him  out  of  my  thoughts,  and  "  He  stands  at  the 
door  and  knocks  !  "  I  yearn  for  "  the  flesh-pots," 
"  He  sends  me  manna."  "  Was  there  ever  kind- 
est shepherd  half  so  gentle,  half  so  sweet?" 

"  And  they  gathered  it  every  morning."  And 
that  I  think  is  the  best  time  to  gather  the  heavenly 
food.  At  night  I  am  weary,  my  body  is  craving 
sleep,  and  I  am  not  vitalized  in  the  fields  of  grace. 
But  in  the  morning  I  am  refreshed,  and  I  can 
go  to  the  heavenly  fields  and  gather  "  the  things 
which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love 
Him."  I  can  be  fed  as  the  day  begins,  and  I  can 
set  out  to  my  daily  work  with  the  taste  of  God 
in  my  mouth,  and  His  mighty  grace  in  my  heart, 
and  I  shall  delight  to  "  walk  in  the  paths  of  His 
commandments." 


SEPTEMBER  Hlxe  Twenty-nintK  273 


1 

H 

THE  FOUNTAIN 

I  John  v.  9-21. 

Y  Lord  is  '*  the  fountain  of  life." 
"  This  life  is  in  His  Son."  The 
springs  are  nowhere  else — not  in 
elaborate  theologies,  or  in  ethical 
ideals,  or  in  literary  masterpieces,  or 
in  music  or  art.  "  In  Him  was  life."  It  is  so 
easy  to  forget  the  medicinal  spring  amid  the  dis- 
tractions of  the  fashionable  spa.  There  are 
some  healing  waters  at  Scarborough,  but  they 
have  been  almost  "  crowded  out "  by  bands  and 
entertainments.  It  is  possible  that  the  secondary 
ministries  of  the  Church  may  crowd  out  the 
Church's  Lord.  I  do  not  object  to  the  entertain- 
ment if  only  it  opens  out  on  to  the  Spring ! 

To  have  the  Son  is  to  have  life.  Nothing  else 
is  needed.  "  Thou,  O  Christ,  art  all  I  want." 
Ritualisms,  and  ecclesiasticisms,  and  formal 
theologies  are  not  requisite.  We  can  be  saved 
without  an  academic  knowledge  of  "  the  plan  of 
salvation."  Many  a  gamekeeper's  little  child 
knows  all  the  roads  on  the  estate,  although  she 
would  be  quite  "  at  sea  "  in  explaining  "  the  plan 
of  the  estate  "  which  hangs  in  the  house  of  the 
steward.  "  This  is  life  eternal,  to  know  Thee 
and  Jesus  Christ  whom  Thou  hast  sent." 


274 


SEPTEMBER  Hlxe  UirtietK 


WHITE  ROBES  IN  THE  STREETS 
John  xvii.  11-28. 
HE  man  who  has  been  fed  with  the 
"  bread  of  life  "  must  remain  "  in  the 
world."  The  Lord  gives  no  counte- 
nance to  the  life  of  the  ascetic.  Our 
sanctification  is  not  to  be  gained  by 
withdrawal  and  retreat.  At  the  best,  that  would 
be  a  holiness  sickly  and  anaemic,  a  coddled  virtue 
devoid  of  firm  muscle  and  iron  nerve.  Our  Lord 
purposes  a  holiness  which  shall  wear  white  robes 
in  the  streets,  and  shine  like  virgin  snow  in  the 
market,  and  keep  itself  chivalrous  and  stately 
in  the  common  fellowships  of  men. 

"  In  the  world,"  but  "  not  of  the  world."  The 
man  who  is  fed  on  "  the  bread  of  life  "  is  en- 
dowed with  powers  of  resistance  against  "  the 
noisome  pestilence."  The  germs  of  worldly  epi- 
demics find  no  nutriment  in  him.  "  The  prince 
of  this  world  cometh,  and  hath  nothing  in  Me." 
When  an  evil  microbe  finds  no  foothold  it  withers 
away.  If  I  am  not  "  of  the  world  "  I  shall  quite 
naturally  and  instinctively  be  able  to  resist  "  all 
the  wiles  of  the  devil." 

And  my  Lord  purposes  me  to  have  this 
positive,  masculine  holiness  in  order  "  that  the 
world  may  believe."  He  wants  disciples  who 
will  arrest  the  world  by  their  glorious  health, 
and  by  their  invincible  moral  defences.  He  wants 
my  purity  to  advertise  His  grace ;  He  wants  my 
faith  to  increase  "  the  household  of  the  faith." 


OCTOBER  niie  Fir 


A  WONDERFUL  UNBELIEF 
Psalm  Ixxviii.  15-25. 
HEY  believed  not  in  God  .  .  .  though 
He  had "     Let  everyone  finish 


that  sentence  out  of  his  own  experi- 
ence. How  much  grace  can  our 
unbeUef  withstand?  The  Lord  had 
made  the  rock  hke  unto  a  spring  of  water,  and  yet 
these  people  believed  not !  What  has  He  done 
for  thee  and  me?  Let  us  retrace  the  pilgrimage 
of  our  own  years.  Let  us  recall  the  blessings  by 
the  way — the  streams  in  the  desert,  the  pillar  of 
fire  that  led  us  in  the  night.  And  yet  what  is 
the  quality  of  our  faith?  It  is  often  weak  and 
reluctant,  riddled  with  timidities,  or  moth-eaten 
with  worldly  ease.  It  is  not  mighty  and  daring, 
riding  forth  every  morning  like  a  chivalrous 
knight  to  inevitable  conquest.  It  creeps  along, 
like  Mr.  Halting,  and  Miss  Much-Afraid,  and 
Mr.  Little-Faith. 

"  He  marvelled  at  their  unbelief."  The  Lord 
Jesus  wondered  that  men  and  women,  seeing 
what  they  had  seen,  did  not  immediately  spring 
to  the  life  and  service  of  faith.  Perhaps  we  do 
not  give  time  for  faith  to  be  born !  Perhaps  we 
do  not  see  because  we  do  not  look.  Perhaps  we 
are  blind  to  His  mercies  and  are  therefore  dead 
to  the  faith.  And  therefore,  perhaps,  our  first 
prayer  should  be,  "  Lord,  that  I  might  receive 
my  sight,"  and  then  the  prayer,  "  Lord,  increase 
my  faith." 


276 


OCTOBER  OKe  Second 


HUMBLING  OUR  PRIDE 

Job  xxxviii.  1-15. 

WILL  demand  of  thee,  and  answer 
thou  Me."  When  our  God  begins 
to  ask  questions  our  pride  is  soon 
humbled,  for  the  limits  of  our  knowl- 
edge and  power  are  speedily  reached. 
The  mist  is  very  close  to  our  doors,  and  in  a 
very  few  steps  we  are  lost  on  a  trackless  moor. 
Who  can  trace  the  real  springs  of  a  tear  and  lay 
his  hand  on  the  emotion  that  gave  it  birth  ?  Who 
can  lead  us  into  the  bright  realm  where  smiles 
are  born  ?  Who  knoweth  the  way  of  a  frown,  or 
who  can  uncover  the  secrets  of  fear?  No  living 
man  can  explain  his  own  breathing,  or  can  un- 
ravel the  mysterious  decree  which  moves  his  own 
finger ! 

And  as  there  is  so  much  mystery,  it  must  be 
surely  true  that  mystery  is  a  very  gracious  thing. 
Uncertainty  is  the  divine  ministry  of  blessed- 
ness. If  it  were  not  so,  He  would  have  told  us! 
"  I  have  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye 
cannot  bear  them  now."  If  it  were  best  for  us 
that  the  mist  should  be  removed,  He  would  roll 
it  up  like  a  garment  and  give  us  the  light  of  un- 
clouded day.  But  the  mist  remains,  the  home  of 
blessing.  "  He  cometh  in  a  thick  cloud."  "  The 
clouds  drop  fatness." 


OCTOBER  Olie  TKird 


277 


WATCHING  THE  CREATOR 

Jeremiah  x.  10-16. 

E  hath  made  the  earth  by  His  power." 
And  He  is  making^  it  still.  Even 
in  the  material  world  "  His  mercies 
are  new  every  morning."  James 
Smetham  used  to  speak  of  going  into 
his  garden  "  to  see  what  the  Lord  is  doing."  He 
would  stand  on  the  top  of  Highgate  Hill  on  a 
blustering  night  "  to  watch  the  goings  of  the 
Lord  in  the  storm."  And  all  this  means  that  to 
James  Smetham  creation  was  not  merely  a  single 
event,  but  a  process  whose  countless  events  are 
still  going  on.  He  watched  his  Lord  at  work ! 
Every  sunset  was  a  new  creation  from  the  Al- 
mighty Maker's  hands. 

To  many  of  us  the  Creator  is  remote  from 
His  works.  He  is  not  immediately  near.  And 
so  He  no  longer  "  walks  in  the  garden  in  the  cool 
of  the  day."  The  garden  is  no  longer  a  holy 
place.  Let  us  recover  the  sacredness  of  things. 
Let  us  "  practise  the  presence  of  God."  Let  us 
link  His  love  and  power  to  every  flower  that 
blows.  And  so  shall  we  be  able  to  say,  as  we 
move  amid  the  glories  of  the  natural  world, 
"  The  Lord  is  in  His  holy  temple." 


278 


OCTOBER  ^l^e  FourtK 


CREATOR-  AND  CREATURE 

Isaiah  xl.  9-28. 

ET  me  mark  the  range  of  this  teach- 
ing. "  Who  hath  measured  the 
waters  in  the  hollow  of  His  hand. 
.  .  .  He  shall  feed  His  flock  like  a 
shepherd."  And  let  me  mark  it 
again.  "  The  Creator  of  the  ends  of  the  earth 
.  .  .  giveth  power  unto  the  faint.''  Almighti- 
ness  offers  itself  to  carry  my  burden !  The  Cre- 
ator offers  Himself  to  re-create  me !  I  can  en- 
gage the  forces  of  the  universe  to  help  me  on  my 
journey.  Emerson  counselled  us  to  hitch  our 
wagon  to  a  star.  We  can  do  better  than  that. 
We  can  hitch  it  to  the  Maker  of  the  star!  We 
have  something  better  than  an  ideal ;  we  have  the 
Light  of  the  world.  We  are  not  left  to  a  radiant 
abstraction ;  we  have  a  gracious  God. 

The  water  flows  from  the  Welsh  hills  to  every 
house  in  Birmingham.  Rich  and  poor  alike  share 
the  bounty  of  the  mountains.  The  wealth  of  the 
mountains  comes  to  the  common  thirst.  And 
everybody,  too,  may  have  the  water  from  the 
everlasting  hills.  "  The  water  that  I  shall  give 
him  shall  be  in  him."  The  river  of  life  will  flow 
to  every  soul  of  man. 


OCTOBER  m.e  FiftK 


279 


4^ 

8 

THE  SOUL  AND  NATURE 

Psalm  cxlviii. 

IRAISE  ye  the  Lord."  And  the 
Psalmist  calls  upon  the  creation  to 
join  in  the  anthem.  And  that  is  the 
gracious  purpose  of  our  God,  that 
the  world  should  be  filled  with  har- 
monious praise.  It  is  His  will  that  the  character 
of  man  should  harmonize  with  the  flowers  of  the 
field,  that  the  beauty  of  his  habits  should  blend 
with  the  glories  of  the  sunrise,  and  that  his 
speech  and  laughter  should  mingle  with  the  songs 
of  birds  and  with  the  melody  of  flowing  streams. 
But  man  is  too  often  a  discord  in  creation.  The 
flowers  put  him  to  shame.  The  birds  make  him 
sound  harsh  and  jarring.  He  is  "  out  of  tune." 
What  then?  "Tune  my  heart  to  sing  Thy 
praise."  We  must  bring  the  broken  strings,  the 
rusted  strings,  the  jarring  strings  to  the  Repairer 
and  Tuner  of  the  soul.  It  is  the  glad  ministry  of 
His  grace  to  re-awaken  silent  chords,  to  restore 
broken  harps,  to  "  put  new  songs "  in  our 
mouths.  He  will  make  us  the  kinsfolk  of  all 
things  bright  and  beautiful.  We  shall  "  go  forth 
with  joy,"  and  "  all  the  trees  of  the  field  shall 
clap  their  hands." 


28o 


OCTOBER  nixe  SixtK 


HE  KNOWETH  OUR  FRAME 

Psalm  ciii.  13-22. 

IE  knoweth  our  frame."  The  Bible 
abounds  in  such  gracious  and  tender 
words.  "  He  remembereth  us  in  our 
low  estate."  "  I  have  many  things 
to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  cannot  bear 
them  now."  "  He  will  not  permit  you  to  be 
tempted  above  that  ye  are  able."  The  burden  is 
suited  to  our  strength.  The  revelation  is  deter- 
mined by  our  experience.  The  pace  is  regulated 
by  our  years.  "  He  carrieth  the  lambs  in  His 
arms.''  He  "  leads  on  softly."  Nothing  is  done 
in  ignorance.  "  The  Lord  is  mindful  of  His 
own.     He  remembereth  His  children." 

And  so  I  must  practise  the  belief  in  God's  com- 
passionate nearness.  In  my  childhood  I  used  to 
sing  "  There's  a  Friend  for  little  children, 
Above  the  bright  blue  sky."  I  know  better  now. 
He  is  nearer  to  me  than  I  can  dream.  I  used  to 
sing  "  There  is  a  happy  land,  Far,  far  away." 
Now  I  sing,  "  There  is  a  happy  land,  Not  far 
away."  The  good  Father  and  His  home  are  not 
in  some  remote  realm.  They  are  very,  very  near 
to  me,  and  He  knows  all  about  me.  "  He 
knoweth  our  frame." 


OCTOBER  OKe  Seventh 


281 


NEEDING  AND  WANTING 
Acts  xvii.  22-31. 
S  though  He  needed  anything." 
"  He  may  not  need  us ;  but  does  He 
want  us  ?  "  Such  is  the  question  I 
heard  Dr.  Parker  ask  as  he  preached 
upon  these  words.  And  he  took  up  a 
handful  of  flowers  which  he  had  upon  the  pulpit, 
and  said :  "  These  flowers  were  gathered  for  me 
by  little  hands  in  a  Devonshire  lane.  Did  I  need 
them?  No.  Did  I  want  them?  .  .  .  Your 
little  girl  kissed  you  before  you  left  for  business 
this  morning.  Did  you  need  it?  .  .  .  Did  you 
want  it?" 

And  so  Almightiness  may  not  need  our  weak- 
ness, but  the  loving  Father  wants  His  children. 
"  We  are  His  offspring."  Our  Father  delights 
in  the  love  of  His  children.  The  Saviour  said  to 
a  Samaritan  woman,  "  Give  Me  to  drink."  And 
perhaps  it  is  within  the  scope  of  our  holy  privi- 
lege to  refresh  the  heart  of  our  Lord.  Perhaps 
we  can  give  Him  to  drink  of  the  well  of  our  affec- 
tions, and  He  will  see  of  "  the  travail  of  His  soul 
and  be  satisfied." 


282 


OCTOBER  ni^e  EigKtK 


GOD'S  GLORIOUS  PURPOSE 
"I  have  created  him  for  My  glory,  I  have 
formed  him;  yea,  I  have  made  him." — Isaiah 
xliii.   1-7. 

HAT  is  surely  a  superlative  honour! 

"  I  have  created  him  for  My  glory." 

I  stood  before  one  of  Turner's  paint- 

I  ings,  and  a  man  of  fine  judgment 


said     to 


Turner's 


me,  inat  is 
glory ! "  He  meant  that  in  that  picture  the 
genius  and  the  power  and  the  grace  of  Turner 
were  most  abundantly  expressed.  And  it  is  the 
v^ill  of  God  that  man  should  express  His  glory, 
and  by  his  righteousness  and  goodness  vi^itness 
to  the  great  Creator's  power  and  love.  Amid 
all  the  wonders  and  sublimities  of  earth,  and  sky, 
and  sea,  man  is  to  be  the  Almighty's  "  glory." 

The  contrast  is  pathetic  when  we  turn  from 
the  Creator's  purpose  to  our  immediate  life. 
There  is  so  much  that  is  shameful,  crooked,  and 
perverse.  There  is  little  or  nothing  of  "  glory." 
But,  blessed  be  God !  the  purpose  abides,  and  the 
Creator's  work  goes  on.  In  His  redemptive 
grace  He  has  made  provision  for  marred  work, 
for  spoilt  and  perverted  life.  "  The  crooked  shall 
be  made  straight."  "  I  will  bring  again  that 
which  is  out  of  the  way."  "  Where  sin  abounds 
grace  doth  much  more  abound." 


OCTOBER  Hire  MintK 


283 


THE  LARGER  WATERS 

I  Thessalonians  iv.  13-18. 

EATH  is  not  an  end ;  it  is  only  a  new 
beginning.  Death  is  not  the  master 
of  the  house ;  he  is  only  the  porter 
at  the  King's  lodge,  appointed  to 
open  the  gate,  and  let  in  the  King's 
guests  into  the  realms  of  eternal  day.  "  And  so 
shall  we  be  ever  with  the  Lord." 

And  so  the  range  of  three  score  years  and  ten 
is  not  the  limit  of  our  life.  Our  life  is  not  a  land- 
locked lake  enclosed  within  the  shore-lines  of 
seventy  years.  It  is  an  arm  of  the  sea,  and  where 
the  shore-lines  seem  to  meet  in  old  age  they 
open  out  into  the  infinite.  And  so  we  must  build 
for  those  larger  waters.  We  must  lay  our  life 
plans  on  the  scale  of  the  infinite,  not  as  though 
we  were  only  pilgrims  of  time,  but  as  children  of 
eternity  !  We  are  immortal !  How,  then,  shall 
we  live  to-day  in  prospect  of  the  eternal  mor- 
row? 


284 


OCTOBER  m^e  Tenth 


OUR  REFUGE  AND  STRENGTH 
Psalm  xlvi. 
OD  is  our  refuge  and  strength." 
And  in  the  varied  conflicts  and 
perils  of  life  we  need  both  these  re- 
sources. We  need  the  "  refuge." 
There  are  times  when  our  mightiest 
warfare  is  to  lie  passive,  to  shelter  quietly  in  the 
strong  defences  of  our  God.  Our  finest  strategy 
is  sometimes  to  "  rest  in  the  Lord  and  wait." 
We  can  slay  some  of  our  enemies  by  leaving 
them  alone.  We  can  "  starve  them  out."  They 
can  be  weakened  and  beaten  by  sheer  neglect. 
We  feed  their  strength,  and  give  them  favoured 
chances,  if  we  go  out  and  face  them  actively, 
"  marching  as  to  war."  The  best  way  is  to  hide, 
and  keep  quiet ;  and  "  God  is  our  refuge." 

But  we  also  need  the  "  strength."  This  is 
positive  equipment  for  active  service.  The  de- 
fensive is  changed  to  the  offensive,  and  in  the 
"  strength  "  of  the  Lord  we  advance  against  the 
foe.  We  "  ride  abroad,  redressing  human 
wrongs."  We  "  tread  upon  the  lion  and  the 
adder,  the  young  lion  and  the  dragon  we  trample 
under  foot."  We  meet  our  enemy  on  the  open 
field,  and  we  slay  him  in  his  pride ! 

And  so  our  God  is  our  resource  in  the  double 
warfare  of  active  and  passive  crusade.  In  Him 
we  can  take  refuge,  and  the  enemy  withers.  In 
Him  we  can  find  fighting  strength,  and  the 
enemy  is  overthrown. 


OCTOBER  niie  EleventK 


285 


THE   OLD   COMPANION   ON   THE   NEW 
ROAD 

"  Get  thee  out  .  .  .  and  I  will  show  thee." 
"So  Abram  departed  .  .  .  and  the  Lord 
appeared." — Genesis  xii.   1-9. 

E  must  bring  these  separated  pas- 
sages together  if  we  would  appreci- 
ate the  graciousness  of  the  Lord's 
call.  They  are  like  the  two  sides  of 
the  same  shield.  They  answer  each 
other  as  voice  and  echo.  When  I  move  in  obedi- 
ence the  Lord  moves  in  inspiration.  He  never 
lets  me  go  on  my  own  charges.  "  All  things  are 
now  ready."  Before  He  makes  me  hunger  the 
bread  is  prepared.  Before  I  thirst  the  water  is 
at  hand.  Before  He  calls  me  He  has  opened 
springs  in  difficult  places  and  arbours  of  rest 
along  the  road.  When  Abram  set  out  from  his 
own  country  the  Lord  went  before  him. 

And  so  I  need  not  fear  the  arduous  call.  The 
very  measure  of  its  difficulty  is  also  the  measure 
of  the  riches  of  the  divine  provisions.  "  As  thy 
day  so  shall  thy  strength  be."  At  every  turning 
of  the  winding  way  the  Lord  will  appear  unto  us. 
At  every  new  demand  we  shall  discover  new 
bounty,  and  everywhere  in  the  unfamiliar  road 
we  shall  gaze  upon  the  familiar  and  friendly  face 
of  the  Lord. 


286 


OCTOBER  ^e  TxvelftK 


^7jiOi^^r-^l 

■ 

1 

ROUND-ABOUT  WAYS 

Acts  vii.  1-7. 

NTO  a  land  that  I  will  show  thee." 
But  what  mysterious  windings  there 
often  are  before  that  land  is 
reached !  But  God's  windings  are 
never  wasteful  and  purposeless. 
The  apparent  deviations  are  always  gracious 
preparations.  We  are  taken  out  of  the  way  in 
order  that  we  may  the  more  richly  reach  our 
end.  George  Pilkington  yearned  to  go  to  the 
foreign  field,  and  God  sent  him  to  a  dairy  farm 
in  Ireland.  But  the  Irish  dairy  farm  proved  to 
be  on  the  way  to  Uganda ;  and  all  the  experience 
and  knowledge  which  Pilkington  picked  up  in 
this  strange  business  proved  invaluable  when  he 
reached  his  appointed  field.  "  He  bringeth  the 
blind  by  a  way  that  they  know  not."' 

So  I  will  remember  that  the  "  short  cut  "  is  not 
always  the  finest  road.  God's  round-about  ways 
are  filled  with  heavenly  treasure.  Every  winding 
is  purposed  for  the  discovery  of  new  wealth. 
What  riches  we  gather  on  the  way  to  God's  goal ! 

"  The  hill  of  Zion  yields 
A  thousand  sacred  sweets 
Before  we  reach  the  heavenly  fields 
Or  walk  the  golden  streets." 


OCTOBER  (He  TKirteentK 


287 


\ 

r— — ^ 

'W.^M 

^S 

^i^^jj  y^L 

THE  ROYAL  AIR 

Galatians  iii.  6-14. 

MERSON  says  somewhere  that  he 
has  noticed  that  men  whose  duties 
are  performed  beneath  great  domes 
acquire  a  stately  and  appropriate 
manner.  The  vergers  in  our  great 
cathedrals  have  a  dignified  stride.  It  is  not  other- 
wise with  men  who  consciously  live  under  the 
power  of  vast  relationships.  Princes  of  royal 
blood  have  a  certain  great  "  air  "  about  them. 
The  consciousness  of  noble  kinships  has  an  ex- 
pansive influence  upon  the  soul.  The  Jews  felt 
its  influence  when  they  called  to  mind  "  our 
Father  Abraham." 

So  is  it  with  men  and  women  of  glorious  kin- 
ships in  the  realm  of  faith.  Their  souls  expand 
in  the  vast  and  exalted  relations.  "  The  children 
of  faith "  have  vital  communion  with  all  the 
spiritual  princes  and  princesses  of  countless 
years.  They  have  blood-relationship  with  the 
patriarchs,  and  psalmists,  and  prophets,  and  they 
dwell  "  in  heavenly  places "  with  Paul,  and 
Augustine,  and  Luther,  and  Wesley. 

Surely,  such  exalted  kinship  should  influence 
our  very  stride,  and  set  its  mark  upon  our  "  daily 
walk  and  conversation."  It  ought  to  make  us 
so  big  that  we  can  never  speak  a  mean  word,  or 
do  a  petty  and  peevish  thing. 


288 


OCTOBER  Olie  FourteentK 


COMMONPLACE  PEOPLE 

John  i.  35-47. 

UR  Lord  delights  to  glorify  the  com- 
monplace. He  loves  to  fill  the  com- 
mon water-pots  with  His  mysterious 
wine.  He  chooses  the  earthen  ves- 
sels into  which  to  put  His  treasure. 
He  calls  obscure  fishermen  to  be  the  ambassa- 
dors of  His  grace.  He  proclaims  His  great 
Gospel  through  provincial  dialects,  and  He  fills 
uncultured  mouths  with  mighty  arguments.  He 
turns  common  meals  into  sacraments,  and  while 
He  breaks  ordinary  bread  He  relates  it  to  the 
blessing  of  heaven. 

And  "  this  same  Jesus  "  is  among  us  to-day, 
with  the  same  choices  and  delights.  He  will 
make  a  humdrum  duty  shine  like  the  wayside 
bush  that  burned  with  fire  and  was  not  consumed. 
He  will  make  our  daily  business  the  channel  of 
His  grace.  He  will  take  our  disappointments, 
and,  just  as  we  sometimes  put  banknotes  into 
black-edged  envelopes.  He  will  fill  them  with 
treasures  of  unspeakable  consolation.  He  will 
use  our  poor,  broken,  stammering  speech  to  con- 
vey the  wonders  of  His  grace  to  the  weary  sin- 
ful souls  of  men. 


OCTOBER  Olie  FifteentK 


289 


THE  CALL  AND  THE  EQUIPMENT 
Luke  v.  27-32. 
ATTHEW  was  very  weary,  and  the 
all-seeing  Lord  read  the  signs  of  his 
spiritual  dissatisfaction  and  unrest. 
As  Jesus  "  passed  by  "  nothing  es- 
caped His  watchful  eye.  He  sav/  a 
look  in  Matthew's  eye  as  of  some  caged  creature 
longing  for  freedom.  Matthew's  office,  the  con- 
tempt of  his  fellows,  and  perhaps  his  own  self- 
contempt  held  him  in  imprisoning  disquietude. 
The  Lord  knew  it  all,  and  one  word  from  Him 
and  the  iron  gate  was  open,  and  the  prisoner  was 
free!  "Follow  Me!  And  he  left  all,  rose  up, 
and  followed  Him."  With  the  Lord's  command 
was  conveyed  the  ability  to  obey,  and  Matthew 
stepped  into  "  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  children 
of  God." 

And  this  is  the  Master's  way.  His  calls  are 
always  equipments.  Every  received  command- 
ment is  also  the  vehicle  of  requisite  grace.  God's 
decrees  are  also  promises,  nay,  they  are  immedi- 
ate endowments.  If  we  reverently  open  one  of 
His  callings  we  shall  find  it  a  store-house  of 
needed  strength. 

And  therefore  we  need  not  fear  the  calls  of 
the  Lord.  They  are  not  the  harsh  command- 
ments of  a  tyrant,  they  are  the  loving  invitations 
of  a  friend.  If  we  obey  them  we  shall  taste  the 
grace  of  them,  and  "  His  statutes  will  become  our 
songs." 


Qqo 


OCTOBER  OKe  SixteentK 


THE  INSPIRATIONS  OF  THE  PAST 
Isaiah  li.  i-6. 
ERE  is  a  sentence  from  Lord  Mor- 
ley :  "  If  a  man  is  despondent  about 
his  work  the  best  remedy  I  can  pre- 
scribe for  him  is  to  turn  to  a  good 
biography."  He  counsels  him  to  go 
into  the  yesterdays  to  find  inspiration  for  the  life 
of  to-day.  Other  men's  attainments  are  bugle- 
calls  to  me.  "  Look  unto  Abraham,  your 
father."  Look  unto  the  blessings  which  waited 
upon  his  obedience !  See  how  springs  of  refresh- 
ment broke  out  in  the  troubled  way !  God 
"  called  him  and  blessed  him."  Rekindle  your 
hope  at  his  radiant  triumph.  Strengthen  your 
will  in  his  glorious  persistence. 

Here  do  I  see  God's  mercy  in  the  gift  of  mem- 
ory and  in  the  witness  of  history.  I  can  turn 
to  the  yesterdays  for  light  and  quickening.  "  Do 
ye  not  remember  the  miracle  of  the  loaves  ?  " 
Yes,  I  can  recall  the  grace  that  met  me  in  my 
need,  the  power  that  made  the  crooked  straight 
and  the  rough  places  plain.  And  I  am  privileged 
to  turn  the  pages  of  other  men's  testimonies  and 
read  the  record  of  the  Lord's  dealings  with  them. 
And  so  do  memory  and  history  come  as  helpful 
angel-presences  to  my  soul. 

"  His  love  in  time  past 

Forbids  me  to  think 

He'll  leave  me  at  last 

In  trouble  to  sink." 


OCTOBER  nixe  Seventeenth 


291 


NO  QUEST  OF  GOD 

"He  inquired  not  of  the  Lord." — i  Chroni- 
cles X.  6-14. 

HAT  was  where  Saul  began  to  go 
wrong.  When  quest  ceases,  con- 
quests cease.  "He  inquired  not"'; 
and  this  meant  loss  of  light.  God 
will  be  inquired  after.  He  insists 
that  we  draw  up  the  blinds  if  we  would  receive 
the  light.  If  we  board  up  our  windows  He  will 
not  drive  the  gentle  rays  through  our  hindrance. 
We  must  ask  if  we  would  have.  The  discipline 
of  inquiry  fits  us  for  the  counsel  of  the  Lord. 

"  He  inquired  not  " ;  and  this  meant  loss  of 
sight.  When  light  fails,  sight  fails.  The  ponies 
in  our  pits  become  blind.  When  a  spiritual 
power  is  not  exercised  in  the  heavenly,  it  is  de- 
prived of  its  appointed  functions.  And  the  trag- 
edy is  this,  that  the  blind  are  deceived  into  think- 
ing that  they  still  retain  their  sight.  "  Ye  say, 
we  see !  " 

"  He  inquired  not " ;  and  this  meant  loss  of 
might.  For  "  the  light  of  life  "  is  not  only  illu- 
mination ;  it  is  inspiration  too.  It  is  both  light 
and  heat ;  it  confers  guidance  and  dynamic. 
When  a  man,  therefore,  refuses  the  light  he  be- 
comes a  weakling,  and  he  will  meet  with  disas- 
ter in  the  first  tempestuous  day. 


2Q2 


OCTOBER  nixe  EisKteentK 

3^ 


UNANIMITY  IN  THE  SOUL 

"A  double -minded  man  is  unstable  in  all  his 
ways." — James  i.  i-8. 

F  two  men  are  at  the  wheel  with  op- 
posing notions  of  direction  and  des- 
tiny, how  will  it  fare  with  the  boat? 
If  an  orchestra  have  two  conductors 
both  wielding  their  batons  at  the 
same  time  and  with  conflicting  conceptions  of  the 
score,  what  will  become  of  the  band?  And  a 
man  whose  mind  is  like  that  of  two  men  flirting 
with  contrary  ideals  at  the  same  time  will  live 
a  life  "  all  sixes  and  sevens,"  and  nothing  will 
move  to  purposeful  and  definite  issues.  If  the 
mind  flirt  with  Satan  and  Christ,  life  will  be  filled 
with  disastrous  instability  and  confusion. 

The  first  thing  we  need,  therefore,  for  influen- 
tial and  impressive  living  is  unanimity.  Una- 
nimity in  the  mind  is  the  primary  factor  in  a 
forceful  life.  To  bring  "  all  that  is  within  me  " 
into  concord,  to  make  every  instrument  of  the 
soul  bow  to  one  conductor,  to  lead  all  the  powers 
into  homage  to  the  Lord — this  is  the  unanimity 
which  assures  the  perfection  of  holiness.  "  Unite 
my  heart  to  fear  Thy  name."  That  is  the  mood 
which  wins  life's  prize,  "  the  prize  of  the  high 
calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." 


OCTOBER  ^lUe  Nineteenth 


293 


READY! 
"Let  your  loins  he  girded  about." — Luke  xii. 
35-40. 

OOSE  garments  can  be  very  trouble- 
some. An  Oriental  robe,  if  left  un- 
girdled,  entangles  the  feet,  or  is 
caught  by  the  wind  and  hinders  one's 
goings.  And  therefore  the  wearer 
binds  the  loose  attire  together  with  a  girdle,  and 
makes  it  firm  and  compact  about  his  body.  And 
loose  principles  can  be  more  dangerous  than 
loose  garments.  Indefinite  opinions,  caught  by 
the  passing  wind  of  popular  caprice,  are  both  a 
peril  and  a  burden.  Many  people  go  through  life 
with  loose  beliefs  and  purposes,  and  they  never 
arrive  at  any  glorious  goal.  "  Let  your  loins  be 
girded  about."  Bind  your  loose  thinkings  to- 
gether with  the  girdle  of  truth  into  firm  and  sav- 
ing conviction. 

"And  your  lights  burning." 
Be  ready  for  the  emergency.  When  the  dark- 
ness falls,  don't  have  to  hasten  away  to  buy  oil. 
Look  after  your  resources,  and  be  competent  to 
meet  the  crisis  when  it  comes.  Let  the  light  of 
conscience  be  burning  with  clear  flame,  like  a 
brilliant  lighthouse  on  a  dangerous  shore.  Let 
the  light  of  love  be  burning,  like  a  lamp  which 
sends  its  friendly,  cheery  beams  to  the  pilgrims 
of  the  night.  *'  Our  sufficiency  is  of  God,"  and 
the  oil  of  grace  will  keep  the  lights  burning 
through  the  longest  night. 


294 


OCTOBER  niie  Twentieth 


THE  LORD  AS  THE  SERVANT 

"  Jesus,  knowing  that  the  Father  had  given  all 
things  into  His  hands,  and  that  He  came  forth 
from  God,  and  goeth  to  God  .  .  ." — John  xiii. 
I -20. 

ND  how  shall  we  expect  the  sentence 
to  finish  ?  What  shall  be  the  issue  of 
so  vast  a  consciousness  ?  "  He  took 
a  towel,  and  girded  Himself  .  .  . 
and    began    to    wash    the    disciples' 

So  a  mighty  consciousness  expresses  itself  in 
lowly  service.  In  our  ignorance  we  should  have 
assumed  that  divinity  would  have  moved  only 
in  planetary  orbits,  and  would  have  overlooked 
the  petty  streets  and  ways  of  men.  But  here 
the  Lord  of  Glory  girds  Himself  with  the  apron 
of  the  slave,  and  almightiness  addresses  itself  to 
menial  service. 

And  that  is  the  test  of  an  expanding  conscious- 
ness. We  may  be  sure  that  we  are  growing 
smaller  when  we  begin  to  disparage  humble 
services.  We  may  be  sure  we  are  growing  larger 
when  we  love  the  ministries  that  never  cry  or  lift 
their  voices  in  the  streets.  When  a  man  begins 
to  despise  the  "  towel,"  he  is  losing  his  kingly  dig- 
nity, and  is  resigning  his  place  on  the  throne.  "  I 
have  given  you  an  example  that  ye  also  should 
do  as  I  have  done  to  you." 


OCTOBER  OKe  Txventy-f  rst 


295 


THE  CONTRITE  HEART 

Isaiah  Ivii.  13-21. 

ET  us  look  at  this  description  of  the 
dwelling-place  of  the  Eternal  God. 
"  /  dwell  with  him  also  that  is  of  a 
contrite  and  humble  spirit." 

And  who  are  the  contrite?  In  the 
original  word  there  is  the  significance  of  pieces 
of  rock  or  lumps  of  soil  having  been  crumbled 
into  the  finest  powder.  Have  I  not  sometimes 
heard  the  phrase — "  He's  just  a  lump  of  pride  "? 
Well,  that  pride  has  to  be  broken  down  into  the 
finest  powder,  until  not  a  bit  of  stubborn  self- 
conceit  remains.  And  then  the  contrite  become 
the  humble !  Our  gracious  Lord  has  sometimes 
to  use  heavy  hammers  in  the  destruction  of  this 
hard  and  stony  pride :  the  shock  of  calamity,  the 
battering  of  disappointment  and  defeat !  Our 
pride  must  be  ground  to  powder.  Then  He  will 
come  in  and  dwell  with  us ! 

And  what  then  ?  He  will  "  revive  the  spirit 
of  the  humble,  and  revive  the  heart  of  the  contrite 
ones."  Our  broken  pride  shall  be  as  broken  soil 
in  which  our  Lord  will  grow  the  flowers  and 
fruits  of  the  Spirit.  The  death  of  pride  shall  be 
followed  by  a  revival  of  all  things  sweet  and 
beautiful.  When  pride  is  laid  low,  it  is  a  "  day 
of  resurrection."  The  wilderness  shall  "  blossom 
as  the  rose." 


2q6 


OCTOBER  nixe  Twenty-second 

THE  TRUE  STANDARD  OF  GREATNESS 

Matthew  xviii.  1-7. 

ERE  is  our  Lord's  estimate  of  true 
greatness.  How  infinite  is  the  con- 
trast between  His  standard  and  the 
standards  of  the  world !  The  world 
measures  greatness  by  money,  or  elo- 
quence, or  intellectual  skill,  or  even  by  prowess 
on  the  field  of  battle.  But  here  is  the  Lord's 
standard — "  Whosoever,  therefore,  shall  humble 
himself  as  this  little  child,  the  same  is  the  great- 
est in  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

Those  people  are  greatest  who  are  most  like 
God.  We  become  partakers  of  the  Divine  nature 
through  a  child-like  relationship  to  God.  The 
graee  and  power  of  God  pour  into  our  souls  when 
we  wait  upon  Him  like  a  little  child. 

Child-likeness  opens  the  doors  and  windows  to 
the  incoming  of  the  Almighty.  The  child-like  is 
the  trustful,  and  no  barriers  of  cynical  suspicion 
block  the  channels  of  spiritual  communion.  And 
the  child-like  is  the  docile,  and  no  boulders  of 
arrogance  or  self-conceit  block  the  channel  of 
the  invigorating  waters  of  life.  And  so  the  child- 
like become  the  God-like,  and,  of  course,  they  are 
the  greatest  among  the  sons  of  men.  The  little 
child  enshrines  the  secret  of  the  God-man,  and 
we  should  be  infinitely  wise  if  we  had  the  little 
child  always  in  our  midst. 


OCTOBER  niie  Twent3;-tKircl 


297 


MASTERS  AND  SERVANTS 
Matthew  xx.  20-28. 
T  is  always  our  peril  that  we  hunger 
for  place  more  than  for  character, 
for  position  more  than  for  disposi- 
tion, for  a  temporal  sceptre  more 
than  for  a  majestic  self-control. 
These  disciples  coveted  places  on  the  right  and 
left  of  the  Lord,  and  they  had  little  or  no  concern 
about  their  worthiness  for  the  posts.  Temporali- 
ties eclipsed  spiritualities,  fleeting  fireworks  hid 
the  quiet  stars.  They  wanted  to  be  great  and 
prominent,  the  Lord  wanted  them  to  be  pure  and 
good.  They  longed  to  be  Prime  Ministers,  the 
Lord  purposed  that  they  should  be  glad  to  be 
ministers,  working  contentedly  in  an  obscure 
place. 

Now  mark  our  Lord's  response.  "  Are  ye  able 
to  drink  of  the  cup  that  I  drink  off "  They 
wanted  to  be  the  King's  cup-bearers ;  He  offers 
them  to  drink  of  His  cup.  They  call  for  sover- 
eignty :  He  asks  for  sacrifice.  They  crave  sweet- 
ness :  He  offers  them  bitterness.  They  seek  a 
life  of  "  getting  "  :  He  demands  a  life  of  "  giving." 
Who  has  a  cup  of  bitterness  to  drink?  Go  and 
share  it  with  him!  Where  are  the  morally  and 
spiritually  anaemic  ?  Go  and  give  them  thy  blood ! 
"  Whoever  shall  lose  his  life  shall  find  it." 
Through  self-sacrifice  we  pass  to  our  throne. 


20,8        OCTOBER  OKe  Twenty-fourtK 


"PUSH"  AND  "PULL" 

Luke  xiv.  i-ii. 

HE  world  canonizes  "  push."  It  eu- 
logizes the  "  man  of  push."  It  loves 
to  see  a  man  elbowing  his  way 
through  the  jostling  crowd,  and  gain- 
ing for  himself  a  "  chief  seat  "  at 
life's  feast.  He  is  proclaimed  a  "  successful " 
man,  and  he  rises  in  "  the  chief  seat,"  and  amid 
loud  hurrahs  he  responds  to  the  toast  of  his 
health. 

Yes,  "  push  "  is  the  word  of  the  world,  but 
"  pull "  is  the  word  of  the  Lord,  and  between 
the  two  there  is  the  difference  of  darkness  and 
light.  "  Push  "  is  selfish  and  exclusive  :  "  pull  " 
is  inclusive  and  neighbourly.  "  Push  "  takes  as 
its  motto,  "  The  weakest  to  the  wall !  "  "  Pull  " 
takes  as  its  motto,  "  Bear  ye  one  another's  bur- 
dens, and  so  fulfil  the  law  of  Christ." 

The  final  verdict  upon  life  will  be  founded,  not 
upon  our  own  success  in  gaining  a  chief  seat,  but 
upon  our  success  in  encouraging  the  faint  and 
the  weakling,  and  in  "  helping  lame  dogs  over 
stiles." 

My  gracious  Lord,  help  me  to  put  on  "  a  heart 
of  compassion  "  that  by  neighbourly  feeling  and 
ministry  I  may  lead  my  fellows  to  the  choice 
places  of  life's  feast. 


OCTOBER  (Ike  Twenty-f  ftK  299 


THE  ROBE  OF  HUMILITY 
I  Peter  v.  i-ii. 


ET  me,  therefore,  learn  this  lesson, 
that  if  my  Lord  should  give  me 
prominence  in  His  church  it  is  not 
to  feed  my  lust  of  dominion,  but  in 
order  to  strengthen  and  extend  the 
influence  of  the  church's  life.  "  Neither  as  lord- 
ing it  over  the  charge  allotted  to  you,  but  making 
yourselves  ensamples  to  the  Hock." 

The  only  truly  imperial  purple  is  the  robe  of 
humility.  Any  other  sort  of  attire  may  appear  to 
be  kingly,  but  it  has  none  of  the  glorious  signifi- 
cance which  belongs  to  our  sovereign  Lord. 
When  a  man  puts  on  the  robe  of  pride,  he  im- 
mediately belittles  his  manhood.  When  a  man 
puts  on  the  robe  of  humility,  he  becomes  a  greater 
man. 

But  humility  is  more  than  an  imperial  robe,  it 
is  a  complete  armour.  It  is  fine  for  defence! 
The  devil  cannot  get  at  the  man  who  is  "  clothed 
in  humility."  There  is  no  chink  or  crevice 
through  which  his  deadly  rapier  can  pierce.  And 
it  is  equally  fine  for  offence !  Wearing  this  ar- 
mour we  can  go  out  "  redressing  human  wrongs." 
The  stroke  of  pride  is  ever  futile.  When  the 
humble  man  deals  a  blow,  the  power  of  the  Al- 
mighty is  in  his  right  hand.  "  Humble  your- 
selves, therefore,  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God." 


300 


OCTOBER  <lke  Twenty-sIxtK 


4^ 

g 

THE  LUST  OF  THE  EXTERNAL 

Matthew  xxiii.  1-12. 

HARISAISM  is  the  lust  of  externali- 
ties, and  the  utter  negligence  of  the 
inward  sanctities  of  the  spirit.  It 
thinks  more  of  decorum  than  of  holi- 
ness, more  of  etiquette  than  of  equity, 
more  of  ritualism  than  of  "  the  robe  of  righteous- 
ness and  the  garment  of  salvation."  Pharisaism 
lives  in  the  streets :  it  does  not  dwell  in  the  inner 
chambers  of  our  mystic  life. 

Pharisaism  thirsts  for  the  homage  of  men  and 
not  for  the  approbation  of  God.  It  is  far  more 
alert  to  the  "  Rabbi !  Rabbi !  "  of  the  crowd  than 
it  is  to  the  secret  callings  of  the  Lord.  The  path 
between  itself  and  the  highest  is  unfrequented 
and  grass-grown ;  the  path  between  itself  and  the 
multitude  is  a  well-trodden  and  barren  road. 

My  Lord,  let  me  be  warned !  Let  me  not  per- 
vert the  ministries  of  religion  to  the  aggrandize- 
ment of  self.  Let  me  not,  in  appearing  to  wor- 
ship Thee,  be  seeking  the  worship  of  men.  Give 
me  singleness  of  mind.  Give  me  purity  of  heart. 
And  may  I  discover  true  greatness  in  seeking 
greatness  for  others. 


OCTOBER  niie  Twenty-seventK  301 


PAYING  HOMAGE  TO  THE  KING 
Proverbs  iii.  1-12. 

ACKNOWLEDGE  Him."  But  not 
with  a  passing  nod  of  recognition.  I 
must  not  merely  glance  at  Him  now 
and  again,  admitting  His  existence 
on  the  field.  To  acknowledge  Him 
is  to  acknowledge  Him  as  King,  with  the  right  to 
control,  and  as  predominant  partner  in  all  the 
affairs  of  my  life,  even  the  right  to  give  the  de- 
termining voice  in  all  my  decisions.  No,  it  is 
not  the  recognition  paid  to  an  acquaintance,  it  is 
the  homage  paid  to  a  King. 

And  if  I  thus  acknowledge  Him,  He  will  di- 
rect my  pa^s.  Life  shall  always  be  moving  on 
to  its  purposed  end  and  glory.  The  path  chosen 
will  not  always  be  the  most  alluring  one,  but  it 
will  be  the  right  one,  and  therefore  the  safe  one, 
and  there  will  be  wonderful  discoveries  on  the 
uninviting  track. 

How  will  He  let  me  know  which  path  to  take  ? 
I  cannot  say.  We  can  never  anticipate  God's 
ways  of  dealing  with  us.  But  if  my  life  is  bent  to 
the  loving  acknowledgment  of  His  will,  He  will 
assuredly  find  a  way  to  make  His  will  known. 
The  light  will  always  reach  the  willing  mind. 


302         OCTOBER  nixe  Twenty-eigKtK 


PLEASANTNESS  AND  PEACE 

"Her  ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness,  and  all 
her  paths  are  peace." — Proverbs  iii.  13-26. 

|;N  the  ways  of  the  Lord  I  shall  have 
feasts  of  "  pleasantness."  But  not 
always  at  the  beginning  of  the  ways. 
Sometimes  my  faith  is  called  upon  to 
take  a  very  unattractive  road,  and 
nothing  welcomes  me  of  fascination  and  delight. 
But  here  is  a  law  of  the  spiritual  life.  The  exer- 
cised faith  intensifies  my  spiritual  senses,  and 
hidden  things  become  manifest  to  my  soul — hid- 
den beauties,  hidden  sounds,  hidden  scents ! 
Faith  adds  a  mysterious  "  plus  "  to  my  powers, 
and  "  all  things  become  new." 

And  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord  I  shall  also  find 
the  gracious  gift  of  peace.  Not  that  the  road- 
will  be  always  smooth,  but  that  I  may  be  always 
calm.  I  can  be  unperturbed  when  "  all  around 
tumultuous  seems."  I  can  journey  in  holy  seren- 
ity, because  the  Lord  of  the  road  is  with  me. 
For  peace  consists,  not  in  friendliness  of  circum- 
stances, but  in  friendship  with  the  Lord. 


OCTOBER  ^e  Twenty-ninth 


03 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  PAST 

Deuteronomy  xxxi.  7-13. 

jND  no  ears  are  more  receptive  to 
spiritual  story  than  the  ears  of  a  lit- 
tle child.  It  is  not  needful  tc  open 
the  gate  of  interest ;  it  is  wide  ajar 
already.  And  imagination  also  is 
there,  ready  to  busy  itself  about  the  story.  And 
so,  too,  is  the  spirit  of  homage  and  adoration. 
The  children  are  ready  for  the  King !  "  Suffer 
little  children  to  come  unto  Me,  for  of  such  is 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven." 

And,  therefore,  we  have  need  of  wise  tellers 
of  the  story,  who  know  the  story  themselves. 
And  in  these  delicate  regions  I  must  ever  remem- 
ber how  much  my  spirit  shares  in  the  story  I 
tell.  My  spirit  is  a  friend  or  a  foe  to  my  power. 
My  words  may  be  well  chosen,  but  they  may  all 
be  light  as  empty  shells,  devoid  of  all  vitality. 
My  words  have  just  the  power  of  their  spiritual 
contents.  "  You  cannot  fight  the  French  with 
200,000  red  uniforms,"  said  Carlyle ;  "  there  must 
be  men  inside  them."  And  we  cannot  engage  in 
the  evangelization  with  mere  uniforms  of  words. 
There  must  be  spirit  inside  them,  even  the  spirit 
of  pure  and  consecrated  lives. 


304 


OCTOBER  ^e  TKirtieth 


A  TESTIMONY  MEETING 
Psalm  xxxiv.  i-ii. 
HIS  is  a  little  testimony  meeting,  in 
which  each  of  the  witnesses  tells  the 
story  of  the  Lord's  gracious  dealings 
with  him.    Let  me  listen  to  them. 
"  He   delivered   me  from   all   my 
fears."    His  fears  held  him  in  dungeons.    Even 
the  noontide  was  as  darkness  round  about  him, 
and  there  was  no  song  in  his  soul.     And   the 
Lord  broke  open  the  prison-gate  and  let  him  out 
to  light,  and  joy,  and  belief. 

"  They  looked  to  Him  and  were  lightened." 
They  looked  upon  the  grace  of  the  Lord,  and 
were  lit  up,  just  as  I  have  seen  humble  cottage 
windows  ablaze  with  the  glory  of  the  rising  sun. 
I  must  "  set  my  face  "  towards  the  Lord,  and  I, 
too,  shall  catch  the  radiance  of  His  glory. 

*'  This  poor  man  cried  .  .  .  and  the  Lord  saved 
him  out  of  all  his  troubles."  And  these  troubles 
were  what  I  should  call  "  tight  corners,"  when 
the  life  is  hemmed  in  by  unfortunate  circum- 
stances, and  there  seems  no  way  of  escape.  Dis- 
appointment shuts  us  in.  Sorrow  shuts  us  in. 
Lack  of  money  shuts  us  in.  Let  me  cry  unto  the 
Lord.  He  is  a  wonderful  Friend  in  the  tight 
corner,  and  He  will  bring  my  feet  into  "  a  large 
place." 


OCTOBER  niie  Thirty-frst 


305 


TWO  GREAT  MYSTERIES 

Psalm  Ixxxi. 

HIS  is  an  unutterable  mystery,  that 
a  man  can  close  his  life  against  God. 
"  Israel  would  have  none  of  Me.'' 
We  can  shut  out  God  as  we  can  shut 
out  the  pure  air.  We  can  bar  His 
entrance  just  as  we  can  exclude  the  light  from 
the  chamber.  And  then  the  pity  is,  we  can  de- 
ceive ourselves  into  believing  that  the  air  is  per- 
fectly fresh  and  that  the  room  is  flooded  with 
light.  We  lose  our  fine  discernment,  and  we  call 
evil  good,  and  the  darkness  we  call  day.  If  we 
"  refuse  to  have  God  "  in  our  thoughts  God  gives 
us  over  to  a  "  reprobate  mind." 

And  it  is  an  equally  unutterable  mystery  that 
a  man  can  open  his  life  to  the  entertainment  of 
Almighty  God.  "  I  will  dwell  with  them !  " 
That  is  my  supreme  honour,  that  the  Lord  will  be 
my  guest.  I  can  "  hearken  "  to  Him,  and  "  talk  " 
to  Him,  and  "  walk  "  with  Him.  And  He  offers 
me  protection.  He  will  "  subdue  my  enemies." 
And  He  offers  me  unfailing  provision.  The 
Guest  becomes  the  Host !  I  put  my  little  upon 
the  table,  and  lo !  I  find  that  "  the  cruse  of  oil 
fails  not,  and  the  meal  in  the  barrel  is  not  con- 
sumed !  " 


3o6 


NOVEMBER  OTKe  First 


IX  THE  DAYS  OF  YOUTH 

ECCLESIASTES  xii.    I-/. 

N  my  university  days  at  Edinburgh 
there  was  a  young  medical  student 
named  Macfarlane.  He  was  one  of 
our  finest  athletes,  and  everybody 
Hked  him.  One  day  he  was  stricken 
with  typhoid,  which  proved  fatah  Macfarlane 
in  his  days  of  boisterous  health  had  neglected 
his  Lord,  and  when  one  of  his  friends,  visiting 
him  in  his  sickness,  led  his  thoughts  to  the 
Saviour,  he  turned  and  said,  "  But  wouldn't  it 
be  a  shabby  thing  to  turn  to  Christ  now?" 
"  Yes,"  replied  his  friend,  "  it  will  be  a  shabby 
thing,  but  it  will  be  shabbier  not  to  turn  to  Him 
at  all !  "  And  I  believe  that  poor  Macfarlane 
turned  his  shame-filled  soul  to  the  Lord. 

But  it  is  shabby  to  offer  our  Lord  the  mere 
dregs  in  life's  cup.  It  is  shabby  to  offer  Him  the 
mere  hull  of  the  boat  when  the  storms  of  passion 
have  carried  its  serviceableness  away.  Let  me 
offer  Him  my  best,  my  finest  equipment,  my 
youth  !  Let  me  offer  Him  the  best,  and  give  Him 
the  helm  when  I  am  just  setting  sail  and  life 
abounds  in  golden  promise !  "  Remember  now 
thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy  youth." 


NOVEMBER  ^lUe  Second 


307 


LEADING  TO  CHRIST 

"Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  Me." — 
Mark  x.  13-22. 

NTO  Me!  "  We  must  not  keep  them 
at  any  half-way  house.  We  are  so 
prone  to  be  satisfied  if  only  we  bring 
them  a  little  way  along-  the  road.  If 
we  get  them  to  pray  !  If  we  get  them 
to  attend  the  Lord's  house !  If  we  get  them  to 
be  truthful  and  gentle !  All  of  which  is  unspeak- 
ably good.  It  is  a  blessed  thing  to  be  in  "  the 
ways  of  Zion  " ;  it  is  a  far  more  blessed  thing  to 
be  in  the  palace  with  Zion's  King  and  Lord. 
When  we  are  dealing  with  little  children,  every 
road  must  lead  to  Jesus,  and  not  until  the  road  is 
trodden  and  we  arrive  at  Him  must  we  think  our 
ministry  accomplished. 

And.  therefore,  if  I  am  talking  to  the  little  ones 
about  Samuel,  or  David,  or  Paul,  I  must  always 
see  the  short  lane  which  leads  to  the  Lord.  "  Suf- 
fer the  little  children  to  come  unto  Me!  "  And 
once  they  really  own  Him,  we  may  trust  their 
instincts  for  the  rest.  The  heart  in  the  child  will 
leap  to  the  love  of  the  Lord,  "  for  of  such  is  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven.''  When  a  little  one  sees  the 
Saviour,  it  is  "  love  at  first  sight  " ! 


3o8 


NOVEMBER  ^e  TKird 


THE  LORD'S  OWN 

John  xv.   11-25. 

HE  "  Lord's  own  "  possess  the  Lord's 
love.  "  I  have  loved  you.'"  And 
love  is  not  a  beautiful  sentiment,  a 
passive  rainbow  stretched  over  the 
realm  of  human  life.  It  is  a  glori- 
ous, active  energy,  infinitely  more  powerful  than 
electricity,  and  always  besieging  the  gates  of  the 
soul,  or  ministering  to  its  manifold  needs.  Love 
is  the  greatest  force  in  the  world. 

And  the  "  Lord's  own  "  are  taken  into  the  inner 
circle  of  intimacy,  where  the  deepest  secrets 
dwell.  We  are  not  kept  on  the  door-step,  or  left 
standing  in  the  hall,  or  limited  to  one  or  two 
"  public  rooms  " ;  we  are  privileged  to  enter  the 
King's  privacy,  and  be  nourished  at  the  King's 
table,  and  listen  to  the  King's  table-talk  concern- 
ing "  all  things "  which  He  has  heard  of  the 
Father.  We  have  "  the  glorious  liberty  of  the 
children  of  God." 

And  the  "  Lord's  own "  will  experience  the 
world's  hatred.  "  Therefore  the  world  hateth 
you."  Our  very  friendship  with  the  Lord  pro- 
nounces judgment  on  the  world,  and  its  hostility 
is  aroused.  If  we  are  "  partakers  of  the  glory  " 
we  shall  most  assuredly  be  "  partakers  of  the 
sufferings  of  Christ." 


NOVEMBER  rTKe  FourtK 


309 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  AS  WITNESS 

John  xv.  26 — xvi.  11. 

I  HE  Holy  Spirit  is  to  be  a  witness  of 
Jesus.  "  He  shall  testify  of  Me." 
He  shall  be  "  the  Friend  of  the 
Bridegroom,"  and  He  shall  sing  the 
Bridegroom's  grace,  and  goodness, 
and  prowess,  in  the  eager  ear  of  the  bride.  And 
the  early  love  of  the  bride  shall  become  deeper 
and  richer  as  more  and  more  she  enters  into  "  the 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ." 

And  the  Holy  Spirit  is  thus  to  be  a  strength- 
ener  of  the  friends  of  the  Lord.  He  will  be  my 
"  Comforter."  By  His  gracious  advocacy  He 
will  make  my  faith  and  hope  invincible.  The 
best  service  which  can  be  rendered  me  is  not  to 
change  my  circumstances,  but  to  make  me 
superior  to  them;  not  to  make  a  smooth  road, 
but  to  enable  me  to  "  leap  like  an  hart  "  over 
any  road;  not  to  remove  the  darkness,  but  to 
make  me  "  sing  songs  in  the  night."  And  so  I 
will  not  pray  for  less  burdens,  but  for  more 
strength!  And  this  is  the  gracious  ministry  of 
"  The  Comforter." 

Holy  Spirit,  strengthen  me !  Transform  my 
frail  opinions  into  firm  convictions,  and  change 
my  fleeting,  dissolving  views  into  abiding  visions  ! 


3IO 


NOVEMBER  Hl^e  FiftK 


THE  TEMPLE  OP  THE  BODY 

Romans  xii.  1-9. 

HE  Lord  wants  my  body.  He  needs 
its  members  as  ministers  of  right- 
eousness. He  would  work  in  the 
world  through  my  brain,  and  eyes, 
and  ears,  and  lips,  and  hands,  and 
feet. 

And  the  Lord  wants  my  body  as  "  a  living 
sacrifice."  He  asks  for  it  when  it  is  thoroughly 
alive !  We  so  often  deny  the  Lord  our  bodies 
until  they  are  infirm  and  sickly,  and  sometimes 
we  do  not  offer  them  to  Him  until  they  are  quite 
"  worn  out."  It  is  infinitely  better  to  offer  them 
even  then  than  never  to  offer  them  at  all.  But 
it  is  best  of  all  to  offer  our  bodies  to  our  Lord 
when  they  are  strong,  and  vigorous,  and  service- 
able, and  when  they  can  be  used  in  the  strenu- 
ous places  of  the  field. 

And  so  let  me  appoint  a  daily  consecration 
service,  and  let  me  every  morning  present  my 
body  "  a  living  sacrifice "  unto  God.  Let  me 
regard  it  as  a  most  holy  possession,  and  let  me 
keep  it  clean.  Let  me  recoil  from  all  abuse  of 
it — from  all  gluttony,  and  intemperance,  and 
"  riotous  living."  Let  me  look  upon  my  body  as 
a  church,  and  let  the  service  of  consecration  con- 
tinue all  day  long.  "  Know  ye  not  that  your 
bodies  are  the  temples  of  the  Holy  Spirit  ?  " 


NOVEMBER  Hlie 


PEACE  IN  TRIBULATION 
John  xvi.  25-33. 
ERE  is  a  strange  medley  of  experi- 
ences!     I   am  to  enjoy  the  gift  of 
peace,  and  yet  I  am  to  be  smarting 
under  tribulation ! 

When  the  Holy  Spirit  is  my  guest 
I  am  to  enjoy  the  gift  of  peace.  "  These  things 
I  said  unto  you  that  ye  might  have  peace.''  The 
life  of  the  soul  is  to  move  without  jar  or  discord. 
It  shall  be  like  a  quiet  engine-house,  in  which 
every  wheel  co-operates  with  every  other  wheel, 
and  there  is  no  waste  or  friction  in  the  holy 
place.  "  All  that  is  within  me  "  blesses  God's 
holy  name. 

And  yet,  while  peace  reigns  within,  there  may 
be  tribulation  without !  "  In  the  world  ye  shall 
have  tribulation."  Here  is  a  peace  which  is  not 
broken  by  the  noise  and  assault  of  brutal  cir- 
cumstance. The  most  tempestuous  wind  cannot 
disturb  the  quiet  serenity  of  the  stars.  When 
the  world  stones  me,  not  one  grain  of  its  gritty 
dust  need  enter  the  delicate  workings  of  my 
soul.  That  was  the  peace  of  my  Lord,  and  it 
is  my  Lord  who  says  to  me :  "  My  peace  I  give 
unto  you !  "  So  '"  be  of  good  cheer,"  my  soul ! 
Thy  Lord  has  "  overcome  the  world"  and  thou 
shalt  share  His  victory. 


NOVEMBER  <lUe  Seventh 


REJECTED  LOVE 
Isaiah  Ixiii.  7-14. 

F  I  refuse  the  friendship  of  the  Holy 
One  I  inevitably  invite  His  hostility. 
"  But  they  rebelled,  and  vexed  His 
holy  Spirit:  therefore  He  was  turned 
to  he  their  enemy,  and  He  fought 
against  them." 

And  so,  if  I  reject  the  forces  of  grace  I  do  not 
turn  them  from  my  gate,  I  convert  them  into 
foes.  Malachi  teaches  me  that  rejected  sunshine 
becomes  like  a  burning  oven.  The  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews  teaches  me  that  rejected  love  becomes 
"  a  consuming  fire."  Holiness  nourishes  virtue, 
it  ufithers  vice.  If  I  offer  my  Lord  a  tender 
aspiration,  His  breath  wooes  it  like  the  balmy 
air  of  the  spring ;  if  I  come  before  Him  with  the 
weeds  of  ignoble  dispositions,  He  blights  them 
as  with  the  nipping  of  the  frost. 

And  is  it  not  well,  for  thee  and  me,  that  our 
Lord  is  thus  fiercely  hostile  to  our  sins?  Is  not 
this  "consuming  fire"  the  friend  of  my  soul? 
May  I  not  pray :  Burn  on,  burn  on,  pure  flame, 
until  all  the  refuse  and  rubbish  of  my  life  are 
utterly  consumed ;  burn  on,  burn  on,  until  fierce 
flame  becomes  mild  light,  flinging  its  genial  radi- 
ance over  a  transfigured  desert? 


NOVEMBER  <lke  EigKtK 


313 


DOING  THE  IMPOSSIBLE 
Matthew  xxii.  1-14. 
TRETCH  forth  thine  hand!"  But 
that  is  just  what  he  was  unable  to 
do.  His  hand  was  withered.  His 
hand  had  hung  there  for  years,  a 
rebel  to  all  the  commands  of  the  will. 
The  Lord's  imperative  was  the  demand  of  the 
impossible !  Yes,  but  the  man  obeyed.  "  He 
stretched  it  forth."  What  he  had  been  unable  to 
do  he  did  at  the  bidding  of  the  King. 

Christ's  commandments  are  always  accom- 
panied by  adequate  supplies  of  grace.  His  com- 
mandments are  really  inverted  promises ;  every 
one  is  a  true  bond  that  the  Lord  will  provide  the 
needful  power  for  its  fulfilment.  When  we  begin 
to  obey  we  release  the  power,  and  we  discover 
that  the  requisite  ability  has  been  given  by  the 
gracious  Master  who  gave  the  call. 

Let  me,  therefore,  not  fear  the  decree  of  the 
Lord.  If  "  His  commandments  are  exceeding 
broad,"  His  love  is  exceeding  deep.  He  will  not 
mock  our  souls.  He  will  not  make  us  thirst,  and 
then  hold  the  water  beyond  our  reach.  He  is 
faithful  who  called  thee.  Rise  to  obey,  in  all 
thy  lameness,  and  thou  shalt  find  that  thy  feet 
and  ankle  bones  receive  strength. 


314 


NOVEMBER  OKe  NintK 


THE   HOLY  SPIRIT  AS  EMANCIPATOR 

2  Corinthians  iii.  4-18. 

N  the  Holy  Spirit  I  experience  a  large 
emancipation.  "  Where  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty."  I 
am  delivered  from  all  enslaving 
bondage — from  the  bondage  of  liter- 
alism, and  legalism,  and  ritualism.  I  am  not 
hampered  by  excessive  harness,  by  multitudinous 
rules.  The  harness  is  fitting  and  congenial,  and 
I  have  freedom  of  movement,  and  "  my  yoke  is 
easy  and  my  burden  is  light." 

And  I  am  to  use  my  emancipation  of  spirit 
in  the  ministry  of  contemplation.  I  am  to  "  be- 
hold, as  in  a  glass,  the  glory  of  the  Lord."  My 
thought  has  been  set  free  from  the  cramping  dis- 
tractions devised  by  men,  and  I  am  now  to  feast 
my  gaze  upon  the  holy  splendours  of  my  Lord. 
It  is  like  coming  out  of  a  little  and  belittling 
tent,  to  feast  upon  the  sunny  amplitude  of  the 
open  sky !  I  can  "  cease  from  man,"  and  com- 
mune with  God. 

And  the  contemplation  will  effect  a  trans- 
formation. "  We  are  changed  into  the  same 
image  from  glory  to  glory."  The  serene  bright- 
ness of  the  sky  gets  into  our  faces.  The  Lord 
becomes  "  the  health  of  our  countenance,"  and 
we  shine  with  borrowed  glory. 


MOVEMBER  Hl^e  TentK 


315 


NEVERTHELESS! 

Luke  v.  i-ii. 

ERE  is  obedience  in  spite  of  the  night 
of  failure.  "  Nevertheless,  at  Thy 
word  I  will  let  down  the  net."  That 
word  "  nevertheless "  has  always 
made  history.  It  has  been  spoken 
after  scotirgings,  after  "  bonds  and  imprison- 
ments." Ten  thousand  times  has  it  been  heard 
in  the  chamber  of  bereavement,  the  first  sound  to 
break  the  awful  silence.  "  At  evening  my  wife 
died.  ...  In  the  morning  I  did  as  God  com- 
manded me."  And  may  it  be  true  of  me !  May 
my  "  nevertheless  "  of  willing  obedience  rise  like 
a  lark  above  the  storm. 

And  because  there  was  obedience  there  came 
vision.  In  the  wonderful  answer  to  his  faith 
Peter  beheld  the  glory  of  his  Lord.  And  so  I 
never  know  where  the  unenticing  road  of  obedi- 
ence will  lead  me.  At  the  end  of  the  dull  road 
there  will  be  some  gracious  surprise !  It  is  the 
rugged  path  which  leads  to  the  summit !  The 
panorama  comes  as  the  reward  of  the  toilsome 
climb !  Always,  in  the  realm  of  the  Spirit,  the 
dogged  "  nevertheless  "  will  lead  to  the  "  shining 
tableland  to  which  our  God  Himself  is  moon  and 
sun." 


3i6 


NOVEMBER  nixe  Eleventh 


FOILING  THE  ENEMY'S  PLOTS 
Luke  xxii.  24-34. 
DO  not  meet  my  tempter  alone.  The 
engagement  has  been  foreseen  by  my 
Lord.  "  Simon,  Simon,  Satan  hath 
desired  to  have  you!"  The  tempt- 
er's plots,  and  wiles,  and  ambuscades 
are  all  clearly  perceived.  My  Lord  has  got  the 
enemy's  maps,  and  his  plan  of  campaign,  for  all 
things  are  open  to  the  eyes  of  Him  with  whom 
we  have  to  do.  I  do  not  fight  a  lonely  warfare 
on  a  dark  and  unknown  field.  My  Lord  Him- 
self both  scouts  and  fights  for  those  who  are  His 
own. 

And  one  great  means  of  His  co-operation  is 
the  mighty  ministry  of  intercession.  "But  I 
have  prayed  for  thee."  That  "  but  "  is  the  mass- 
ing of  the  forces  of  heaven  against  the  black  and 
subtle  hordes  of  hell.  Let  me  ever  remember 
that  the  Lord's  prayers  are  always  the  conveyers 
of  holy  power  to  those  for  whom  He  prays.  It 
is  as  when  Christian  met  Apollyon  in  the  Valley 
of  Humiliation :  there  comes  a  sudden  accession 
of  strength  to  the  bleeding  warrior,  and  Apollyon 
retires  wounded  and  beaten  from  the  field. 

And  the  only  way  to  preserve  the  fruits  of  a 
triumph  is  by  helping  other  warriors  to  gain  a 
similar  conquest.  "  When  thou  art  converted 
strengthen  thy  brethren."  I  shall  retain  the 
hard,  muscular  limbs  of  a  soldier  if  I  am  willing 
to  share  my  blood  with  the  entire  army. 


KfOVEMBER  ^Tke  T^velftK 


317 


THE  FASHIONING   OF  A  DENIAL 

Luke  xxii.  54-62. 

ROAI  Peter's  denial  I  would  learn  the 
peril  of  the  first  cowardly  surrender 
to  sin.  Surely  Peter  must  have 
"  trimmed  "  many  times  in  the  days 
which  preceded  his  actual  disciple- 
ship.  Great  crises  do  not  make  men,  they  re- 
veal them.  The  men  have  been  made  in  the 
smaller  issues  which  go  before.  We  march  to 
our  crises  by  a  gradient,  every  step  of  which  is 
a  moral  decision.  The  interior  of  the  tree  is 
secretly  eaten  away  by  white  ants ;  the  tempest 
reveals  and  completes  the  destruction. 

And  I  would  learn  from  Peter's  denial  the 
cumulative  power  of  sins.  One  sin  widens  the 
road  for  a  bigger  one  to  follow.  The  second 
denial  will  be  more  vehement  than  the  first. 
The  third  will  add  the  element  of  blasphemy. 
Yes,  every  sin  is  a  miner  and  sapper  for  a  larger 
army  in  the  rear.  It  not  only  does  its  own  work, 
it  prepares  the  way  for  its  successor. 

But  I  will  connect  this  "  dark  betrayal  night  " 
with  that  sweet  after-morning  when  the  Lord 
and  His  denier  met  face  to  face  by  the  lake.  And 
that  sweet  morning  of  reconciliation  is  a  possible 
experience  for  all  the  deniers  of  the  Lord,  and 
it  is  therefore  possible  for  thee  and  me. 


3i8  NOVEMBER  Ol^e  TKirteentK 


A    TRANSFORMED    FISHERMAN 

"  Simon  Peter  saith  unto  them,  I  go  a  fishing." 
— John  xxi.  1-14. 

IMON  PETER  had  often  gone  a  fish- 
ing, but  never  had  he  gone  as  he 
went  in  the  twilight  of  that  most 
wonderful  evening.  He  handled  the 
ropes  in  a  new  style,  with  a  new 
dignity  born  of  the  bigger  capacity  of  his  own 
soul.  He  turned  to  the  familiar  task,  but  with 
a  quite  unfamiliar  spirit.  He  went  a  fishing,  but 
the  power  of  the  resurrection  went  with  him. 

This  action  of  Simon  Peter's  is  the  only  true 
test  of  the  reality  of  any  spiritual  experience. 
How  does  it  fit  me  for  ordinary  affairs?  A 
spiritual  festival  should  do  for  the  soul  what  a 
day  on  the  hills  does  for  the  body — equip  it  for 
the  better  doing  of  the  duties  in  the  vale. 

This  action  is  also  a  preparative  to  a  renewal 
of  the  gracious  experience.  The  road  of  com- 
mon duty  was  just  the  way  appointed  for  another 
meeting  with  his  Lord,  for  in  the  morning-light 
there  came  a  voice  across  the  waters :  "  Chil- 
dren, have  ye  any  meat?"  "And  that  disciple 
whom  Jesus  loved  saith  unto  Peter :  '  It  is  the 
Lord.'  " 


NOVEMBER  OKe  FourteentK  319 


THE  PURIFICATION  OF  LOVE 
John  xxi.  15-25. 

OVEST  thou  Me?"  There  was  a 
day,  only  a  Httle  while  back,  when 
Simon  Peter's  love  was  not  yet  puri- 
fied, and  it  indulged  itself  in  loud 
and  empty  boasts.  True  love  never 
blusters  and  brawls.  It  is  like  a  stream  of  water 
flowing  silently  underground,  and  secretly  bath- 
ing the  roots  of  things,  and  keeping  their  heads 
fresh,  and  cool,  and  sweet.  The  boast  has  now 
dropped  out  of  the  love!  It  is  now  ashamed  of 
words !  "  Lord,  Thou  knowest  that  I  love 
Thee !  " 

Yes,  true  love  expresses  itself,  not  in  clamor- 
ous boastfulness,  but  in  quiet  services.  It  min- 
isters to  the  Lord's  sheep  and  the  Lord's  lambs. 
It  spends  its  strength  on  the  mountains,  "  seek- 
ing that  which  is  lost,"  and  it  does  this  in  the 
darkness,  where  there  is  no  applauding  crowd. 
The  true  lover  does  not  ask  for  some  dramatic 
scene  where  he  can  die  for  the  beloved ;  he  de- 
lights in  obscure  services,  the  feeding  and  tend- 
ing of  the  sheep  of  the  flock. 

But  the  love  that  does  the  humbler  thing  will 
be  ready  for  the  greater  sacrifice  whenever  the 
day  shall  demand  it.  Some  day  the  once  boast- 
ful denier  shall  lay  down  his  life  for  his  Saviour, 
and  through  martyrdom  he  shall  pass  to  his 
crown. 


320 


NOVEMBER  Ol^e  FifteentK 


THE  MUSIC  OF  RECONCILIATION 

Psalm  Ixxxv. 

ET  me  listen  to  this  psalm  of  recon- 
ciliation, as  it  makes  music  for  my 
soul  to-day. 

It  tells  me  of  the  Divine  favour. 
"  Lord,  Thou  hast  been  favourable 
to  Thy  land."  As  I  write  these  w^ords,  the  sun 
has  just  slipped  out  from  behind  the  cloud.  It 
has  been  there  all  the  time,  but  the  ministry  of 
the  cloud  w^as  needed,  and  so  it  appeared  as 
though  there  would  be  sun  and  spring  no  more. 
"  Behind  a  frowning  Providence  He  hides  a  smil- 
ing face." 

And  it  tells  me  of  the  Divine  forgiveness. 
"  Thou  hast  forgiven  the  iniquity  of  Thy  people." 
Yes,  when  the  sun  appears,  He  loosens  the 
frozen  earth  and  streams,  and  turns  the  bondage 
into  liberty.  The  soul  that  was  imprisoned  in 
freezing  guilt  attains  a  joyous  freedom. 

And  it  tells  me  of  revival.  "  Wilt  Thou  not 
vevive  us  again?  "  It  is  the  next  step  in  the  re- 
turning spring.  The  sleeping,  benumbed  things 
will  all  awake !  "  The  flowers  appear  on  the 
earth."  Where  grace  reigns,  graces  spring! 
Forgiveness  is  attended  by  renewal,  and  the  wil- 
derness begins  to  "  blossom  like  the  rose." 


NOVEMBER  OKe  SixteentK 


321 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  BRAVE  MAN 

Acts  iv.  13-22. 

ERE  is  a  marvellous  transformation! 
I  have  been  wondering  at  the  little- 
ness of  the  denier,  and  now  this  same 
denier  is  making  the  world  wonder 
by  his  majestic  boldness !  His  one 
resource  is  now  the  risen  Christ,  and  his  one 
moral  standard  is  "  whether  it  be  right !  "  Once 
he  quailed  before  an  accusing  maid ;  now  he 
stands  undaunted  before  the  rulers  of  the  earth. 
How  has  it  all  come  about? 

He  has  been  to  the  empty  tomb.  The  awe  of 
the  resurrection  is  upon  his  spirit.  Through  the 
once  blind  cul-de-sac  of  the  grave  he  has  seen 
the  King  and  the  great  white  throne. 

And  he  has  been  by  the  lake  on  the  morning 
of  reconciliation.  The  live  coal  from  the  altar  of 
his  Lord's  love  has  touched  him  and  has  purged 
away  the  uncleanness  of  his  denial. 

And  he  has  been  in  the  upper  room  at  Pente- 
cost, and  the  mighty  Spirit  has  come  upon  him 
like  wind  and  flame,  endowing  him  with  forceful 
and  enthusiastic  character.  Now  he  can  dare  for 
God,  now  he  can  work  for  God,  now  he  can  burn 
for  God !  And  this  is  how  he  has  been  trans- 
formed. 


NOVEMBER  OKe  SeventeentK 


IF  GOD  BE  FOR  US 
Romans  viii.  31-39. 
HO  else  is  worth  naming?  How 
much  does  anybody  count?  If  the 
sun  be  on  my  side,  why  should  I 
be  dismayed  at  any  icy  obstacle  that 
may  rear  itself  in  my  way?  Sun 
versus  ice  !  God  versus  my  impediments  !  Why 
should  I  fear  ?  If  the  atmosphere  is  on  my  side, 
then  even  the  opposing  strength  of  iron  will  rust 
away  into  powder.  "  The  breath  of  the  Lord 
bloweth  upon  it,"  and  if  the  holy  breath,  God's 
Holy  Spirit,  is  for  us,  then  the  apparently  in- 
vincible obstacle  will  crumble  away  into  dust. 

But  we  are  deceived  by  mass,  and  we  are  for- 
getful of  spirit.  Mere  size  affrights  us.  We  are 
dismayed  by  numbers.  We  forget  the  quiet,  per- 
vasive, all-powerful  ministry  of  the  Spirit  of 
God.  We  are  overwhelmed  by  the  phenomena 
of  tempest  and  earthquake  and  fire,  and  we  for- 
get that  almightiness  hides  in  the  "  still,  small 
voice,"  in  "  the  sound  of  a  gentle  stillness." 
God's  breath  is  more  than  the  fierce  threatenings 
of  embattled  hosts.  "  If  God  be  for  us,  who  can 
be  against  us  ? "  I  will  hide  myself  in  His  holy 
fellowship,  and  "  none  shall  make  me  afraid." 


NOVEMBER  Hlxe  Eighteenth  323 


EXHILARANT  SPIRITS 
"  He  maketh  my  feet  like  hinds'  feet." — Psalm 
xviii.  31-39. 

THINK  of  Wordsworth's  lines,  in 
which  he  describes  a  natural  lady, 
made  by  Nature  herself  : 

J    "  She  shall  be  sportive  as  the  fawn 
That  wild  with  glee  across  the  lawn 
Or  up  the  mountain  springs." 

And  it  is  this  buoyancy,  this  elasticity,  this 
springiness  that  the  Lord  is  waiting  to  impart 
to  the  souls  of  His  children,  so  that  they  may 
move  along  the  ways  of  life  with  the  light  steps 
of  the  fawn. 

Some  of  us  move  with  very  heavy  feet.  There 
is  little  of  the  fawn  about  us  as  we  go  along  the 
road.  There  is  reluctance  in  our  obedience. 
There  is  a  frown  in  our  homage.  Our  benevo- 
lence is  graceless,  and  there  is  no  charm  in  our 
piety,  and  no  rapture  in  our  praise.  We  are  the 
victims  of  "  the  spirit  of  heaviness."  And  yet 
here  is  the  word  which  tells  us  that  God  will 
make  our  feet  "  like  hinds'  feet.''  He  will  give 
us  exhilaration  and  spring,  enabling  us  to  leap 
over  difficulties,  and  to  have  strength  and  buoy- 
ancy for  the  steepest  hills.  Let  us  seek  the  in- 
spiration of  the  Lord.  "  It  is  God  that  girdeth 
me  with  strength,  and  maketh  my  way  perfect." 


324 


NOVEMBER  Hlie  Nineteenth 


THE  ARMOUR  OF  GOD 

Ephesians  vi.  10-18. 

HE  Word  describes  the  armour,  and 
it  directs  us  to  the  armoury.  The 
description  would  oppress  me  if  the 
directions  were  absent.  If  I  have  to 
forge  the  armour  for  myself  I  should 
be  in  despair.  But  I  can  go  to  the  armoury  of 
grace,  where  there  is  an  ever-open  door  and 
abundant  welcome  for  every  person  who  fain 
would  be  a  knight-errant  of  the  Lord.  The  Lord 
will  provide  me  with  perfect  equipment  suitable 
for  every  kind  of  contest  which  may  meet  me 
along  the  road.  There  are  no  favourites  among 
the  pilgrims  except,  perhaps,  the  neediest,  and 
to  them  is  given  "  more  abundant  honour." 

Sometimes  one  of  the  Lord's  knights  loses 
one  piece  of  armour,  and  he  must  at  once  repair 
to  the  armoury.  Perhaps  he  has  lost  his  helmet, 
or  his  shield,  or  even  his  breastplate,  and  the 
enemy  has  discovered  his  vulnerable  place.  We 
must  never  continue  our  journey  imperfectly 
armed.  The  evil  one  will  ignore  the  pieces  we 
have,  and  he  will  direct  all  his  attack  where  there 
is  no  defence.  Back  to  the  armoury !  Back  to 
the  armoury,  that  we  may  "  put  on  the  whole 
armour  of  God."  The  Lord  is  waiting;  let  us 
humbly  and  penitently  ask  for  the  missing  piece. 


NOVEMBER  OKe  Twentieth 


325 


THE  REAL  ARISTOCRACY 

"Abraham,  my  friend." — Isaiah  xli.  8-16. 

THINK  that  is  the  noblest  title  ever 
given  to  mortal  man.  It  is  the 
speech  of  the  Lord  God  concerning 
one  of  His  children.  It  is  something 
to  be  coveted  even  to  enjoy  the 
friendship  of  a  noble  man ;  but  to  have  the 
friendship  of  God,  and  to  have  the  holy  God 
name  us  as  His  friends,  is  surely  the  brightest 
jewel  that  can  ever  shine  in  a  mortal's  crown. 
And  such  recognition  and  such  glory  may  be  the 
wonderful  lot  of  thee  and  me. 

"  Abraham,  my  friend."  The  Lord  of  hosts 
found  delight  in  human  friendships.  He  comes 
in  to  sup  with  us.  He  drinks  of  the  cup  of  our 
delights.  For,  surely,  it  is  one  of  the  supreme 
characteristics  of  true  friendship  that  it  rejoices 
at  the  other's  joy.  And  my  heavenly  Friend  is 
glad  in  my  gladness  as  well  as  sympathetic  in 
the  day  of  sadness  and  tears.  Yes,  He  comes  in 
to  sup  with  me,  and  I  may  sup  with.  Him. 

"  Abraham,  my  friend."  And  He  shares  His 
sweets  with  His  friend,  in  inward  counsels,  and 
in  tender  revelations  of  His  purposes  and  in  the 
gifts  of  joy  and  peace.  There  is  perfect  open- 
ness between  these  friends  ;  nothing  is  hid.  They 
have  the  run  of  each  other's  hearts. 

"  I  tell  Him  all  my  joys  and  fears, 
And  He  reveals  His  love  to  me." 


326        MOVEMBER  ^Ike  Twenty-first 


THE  EARLY  BUILDERS 
I  Kings  viii.  1-21. 

T  is  always  a  healthy  means  of  grace 
to  link  my  own  accomplishments 
with  the  fidelity  and  achievements 
of  the  past.  Solomon  traced  his  fin- 
ished Temple  to  the  holy  purpose  in 
the  heart  of  David  his  father.  I  lay  the  coping- 
stone,  but  who  turned  the  first  sod?  I  lead  the 
water  into  new  ministries,  but  who  first  dug  the 
well? 

There  is  the  temple  of  liberty.  In  our  own 
day  we  are  enriching  it  with  most  benignant  leg- 
islation, but  we  must  not  forget  our  dauntless 
fathers,  in  whose  blood  the  foundations  were 
laid.  When  I  am  walking  about  in  the  finished 
structure,  let  me  remember  the  daring  architects 
who  "  did  well  "  to  have  it  in  their  hearts. 

Such  retrospect  will  make  me  humble.  It  will 
save  me  from  the  isolation  and  impotence  of 
foolish  pride.  It  will  confirm  me  in  human  fel- 
lowship by  showing  me  how  many  springs  I  have 
in  my  fellowmen. 

And  such  retrospect  will  make  me  grateful  to 
my  God.  Noble  outlooks  always  engender  the 
spirit  of  praise.  The  fine  air  of  wide  spaces 
quickens  the  soul  to  a  song. 


NOVEMBER  Hl^e  Twenty-second   327 


RECOVERING  LOST  STRENGTH 
I  Kings  viii.  22-36. 
N  this  portion  of  this  great  prayer  I 
discern  the  unalterable  mode  in 
which  nations  and  individuals  re- 
cover their  moral  health  and 
strength. 

How  do  they  lose  it?  Two  words  tell  the 
story.  They  "  sin  "  and  are  "  smitten."  It  is 
an  inevitable  sequence.  Every  sin  is  the  minister 
of  disease.  Sometimes  we  can  see  it,  when  the 
disease  flaunts  its  flags  in  the  flesh ;  lust  and 
drunkenness  have  glaring  placards,  and  we  know 
what  is  going  on  within.  But  even  when  sin 
makes  no  visible  mark  the  wasting  process  is  at 
work.  It  is  as  true  of  falsehood  as  of  drunken- 
ness, of  treachery  as  of  lust.  "  Evil  shall  slay 
the  wicked." 

And  how  do  we  recover  our  lost  estate? 
There  are  three  words  which  tell  the  story. 
"  Tarn!  "  "  Confess!  "  "  Make  supplication!  " 
The  words  need  no  exposition.  I  must  turn  my 
face  to  my  despised  and  neglected  Lord ;  I  must 
tell  them  all  about  my  miserable  revolt,  and  I 
must  humbly  crave  for  His  restoring  grace. 

And  the  answer  is  sure.  Such  humble  exer- 
cise sets  the  joy-bells  ringing,  and  the  rich  for- 
giveness of  the  Lord  fills  the  soul  with  peace. 
"  O  taste  and  see  how  gracious  the  Lord  is." 


328 


NOVEMBER  Ol^e  Twenty-tKird 

THE  STRANGER 

I  Kings  viii.  37-53. 

ES,  indeed,  what  space  has  "  the 
stranger  "  in  my  suppHcations  ?  Has 
he  any  place  at  all?  Are  my  inter- 
cessions private  enclosures,  intended 
only  for  the  select  among  my 
friends?  Do  I  ever  open  the  door  to  anyone 
outside  my  family  circle?  Are  my  ecclesiastical 
sympathies  large  enough  to  include  "  outsiders  " 
from  afar?  What  do  I  do  with  "  the  stranger"? 
There  is  nothing  which  keeps  prayer  sweet  and 
fresh  and  wholesome  like  the  letting  in  of  "  the 
stranger  " !  To  let  a  new  guest  sit  down  at  the 
feast  of  my  intercession  is  to  give  my  own  soul 
a  most  nutritious  surprise.  It  is  a  most  healthy 
spiritual  habit  to  see  to  it  that  we  bring  in  a  new 
"  stranger "  every  time  we  pray.  Let  me  be 
continually  enlarging  the  circle  of  hospitality ! 
Let  some  new  and  weary  bird  find  a  resting- 
place  in  the  branches  of  my  supplications  every 
time  I  hold  communication  with  God. 

A    prayer    which    has    no    room    for    "  the 
stranger  "  can  have  little  or  no  room  for  God. 


NOVEMBER  Hl^e  Twenty-fourtK  329 


THE  PRAYER  WHICH  ENDS  IN 

SACRIFICE 

I  Kings  viii.  54-66. 

ND  that  is  the  healthy  order  of  all 
true  worship.  It  begins  in  spacious 
supplication  in  which  "  the  stranger  " 
finds  a  place.  Then  there  is  a  lavish 
consecration  of  self  and  substance. 
And  then  the  wedding-bells  begin  to  ring,  and 
*'  the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  our  strength !  "  "  They 
went  unto  their  tents  joyful  and  glad  of  heart 
for  all  the  goodness  that  the  Lord  had  done." 

But  so  many  suppliants  miss  the  middle  term, 
and  therefore  the  gladness  is  wanting.  Supplica- 
tion is  not  followed  by  consecration,  and  there- 
fore there  is  no  exultation.  It  is  a  fatal  omission. 
When  we  are  asking  for  "  the  gift  of  God  "  our 
request  must  be  accompanied  by  the  gift  of  our- 
selves to  God.  If  we  want  the  water  we  must 
offer  the  vessel.  No  gift  of  self,  no  bounty  of 
God  !  No  losing,  no  finding !  "  When  the  burnt 
offering  began,  the  song  of  the  Lord  began." 

"  Take  my  life,  and  let  it  be 
Consecrated,  Lord,  to  Thee." 


330        NOVEMBER  OKe  Twenty-fftK 


AFTER  THE  PRAYER  THE  FIRE! 
"  When  Solomon  had  made  an  end  of  praying 
the  fire  came  down  from  heaven." — 2  Chroni- 
cles vii.   i-ii. 

ND  the  fire  is  the  symbol  of  the  Holy 
God.  Pure  flame  is  our  imperfect 
mode  of  expressing  the  Incorrupti- 
ble. This  burning  flame  is  heat  and 
light  in  one.  And  when  Solomon 
had  prayed,  the  holy  Flame  was  in  their  midst. 

But  not  only  is  the  flame  the  symbol  of  the 
Holy ;  it  also  typifies  the  power  which  can  make 
me  holy.  We  have  no  cleansing  minister  to 
compare  with  fire.  Where  water  fails  fire  suc- 
ceeds. After  an  epidemic  water  is  comparatively 
impotent.  We  commit  the  infested  garments  to 
the  flames.  It  was  the  great  fire  of  London 
which  delivered  London  from  the  tyranny  of  the 
plague.  And  so  it  is  with  my  soul.  God,  who  is 
holy  flame,  will  burn  out  the  germs  of  my  sin. 
He  will  "  purify  Jerusalem  with  the  spirit  of 
burning."    "  Our  God  is  a  consuming  fire." 

Come  to  my  soul,  O  holy  Flame !  Place  Thy 
"  burning  bliss "  against  my  wickedness,  and 
consume  it  utterly  away ! 


NOVEMBER  ni\e  Twent37-sixtK        331 


UNCONSECRATED  SOULS 

"  This  house  which  I  have  sanctified  will  I  cast 
out  of  my  sight,  and  will  make  it  a  proverb  and 
a  by-word  among  all  nations." — 2  Chronicles 
vii.   12-22. 

ND  thus  am  I  taught  that  conse- 
crated houses  are  nothing  without 
consecrated  souls.  It  is  not  the  mode 
of  worship,  but  the  spirit  of  the  wor- 
shipper which  forms  the  test  of  a 
consecrated  people.  If  the  worshipper  is  defiled 
his  temple  becomes  an  offence.  When  the  kernel 
is  rotten,  and  I  offer  the  husk  to  God,  the  offer- 
ing is  a  double  insult  to  His  most  holy  name. 

And  yet,  how  tempted  I  am  to  assume  that 
God  will  be  pleased  with  the  mere  outsides  of 
things,  with  words  instead  of  aspiration,  with 
postures  instead  of  dispositions,  with  the  letter 
instead  of  the  spirit,  with  an  ornate  and  costly 
temple  instead  of  a  sweet  and  lowly  life!  Day 
by  day  I  am  tempted  to  treat  the  Almighty  as 
though  He  were  a  child !  Nay,  the  Bible  uses  a 
more  awful  word ;  it  says  men  treat  the  Lord  as 
though  He  were  a  fool ! 

From  all  such  irreverence  and  frivolity,  good 
Lord,  deliver  me !  Let  me  ever  remember  that 
Thou  "  desirest  truth  in  the  inward  man."  "  In 
the  hidden  parts  "  help  me  "  to  know  wisdom." 


332 


NOVEMBER  Olie  Twent>;-seventK 


THE  VALUE  OF  REVERENCE 

Romans  xiii.  1-7. 

HEN  I  pay  honour  to  honourable 
ministers  I  not  only  honour  my  God, 
but  I  enrich  and  refine  my  own 
soul.  One  of  the  great  secrets  of 
spiritual  culture  is  to  know  how  to 
revere.  There  is  an  uncouth  spirit  of  self-ag- 
gression which,  while  it  wounds  and  impover- 
ishes others,  destroys  its  finest  spiritual  furniture 
in  its  own  ungodly  heat.  The  man  who  never 
bows  will  never  soar.  To  pay  homage  where 
homage  is  due  is  one  of  the  exercises  which  will 
help  to  keep  us  near  "  the  great  white  throne." 
I  know  my  peril,  for  I  recognize  one  of  the 
prevalent  perils  of  our  time.  Some  of  the  old 
courtesies  are  being  discarded  as  though  they 
belonged  to  a  younger  day.  Some  of  the  old 
tokens  of  respect  have  been  banished  to  the 
limbo  of  rejected  ritual.  Dignitaries  are  jostled 
in  the  common  crowd.  "  One  man  is  as  good  as 
another !  "  And  so  there  is  a  tendency  to  strip 
life  of  all  its  reverences,  and  venerable  fanes  be- 
come stables  for  unclean  things. 

My  soul,  come  thou  not  into  this  shame ! 
Move  in  the  ways  of  life  with  softened  tread,  and 
pay  thy  respect  at  every  shrine  where  dwells  the 
grace  and  power  of  God. 


NOVEMBER  ^lUe  Twenty-eigKtK 


333 


HOW  TO  FIGHT  EVIL 


"  Overcome 
9-21. 


evil  with    ([ood." — Romans    xii. 


OR  how  else  can  we  cast  out  evil? 
Satan  cannot  cast  out  Satan.  No 
one  can  clean  a  room  with  a  filthy 
duster.  The  surgeon  cannot  cut  out 
the  disease  if  his  instruments  are  de- 
filed. While  he  removed  one  ill-growth  he  would 
sow  the  seed  of  another.  It  must  be  health  which 
fights  disease.  It  will  demand  a  good  temper  to 
overcome  the  bad  temper  in  my  brother. 

And  therefore  I  must  cultivate  a  virtue  if  I 
would  eradicate  a  vice.  That  applies  to  the  state 
of  my  own  soul.  If  there  be  some  immoral  habit 
in  my  life,  the  best  way  to  destroy  it  is  by  culti- 
vating a  good  one.  Take  the  mind  away  from 
the  evil  one.  Deprive  it  of  thought-food.  Give 
the  thought  to  the  nobler  mood,  and  the  ignoble 
mood  will  die.  And  this  also  applies  to  the  faults 
and  vices  of  my  brother.  I  must  fight  them  with 
their  opposites.  If  he  is  harsh  and  cruel,  I  must 
be  considerate  and  gentle.  If  he  is  grasping,  I 
must  be  generous.  If  he  is  loud  and  presumptu- 
ous, I  must  be  soft-mannered  and  self-restrained. 
If  he  is  devilish,  I  must  be  a  Christian.  This  is 
the  warfare  which  tells  upon  the  empire  of  sin. 
I  can  overcome  evil  with  good. 


334     MOVEMBER  Hlie  Twenty-nintK 


TRANSFORMING  OUR  FOES 
Matthew  v.  38-48. 
OVE  your  enemies." 

It  must  be  the  aim  of  a  Christian 
to  make  his  enemy  lovely.  It  is  not 
my  supreme  business  to  secure  my 
safety,  but  to  remove  his  ugliness. 
He  may  only  annoy  me,  but  he  is  destroying  him- 
self. He  may  injure  my  reputation ;  but  far 
v^orse,  he  is  blighting  his  own  character.  There- 
fore must  I  seek  to  remove  the  greater  thing,  the 
corrosive  malady  in  his  own  soul.  I  must  make 
it  my  purpose  to  recover  his  loveliness,  and  re- 
store the  lost  likeness  of  the  Lord. 

And  only  love  can  make  things  lovely.  Re- 
venge can  never  do  it.  Even  duty  will  fail  in  the 
gracious  work.  There  is  a  final  touch,  a  con- 
summate bloom,  to  which  duty  can  never  attain, 
and  which  is  only  attainable  by  love.  All  love's 
ministries  are  creative  of  loveliness.  Wherever 
her  finger  rests,  something  exquisite  is  born. 
Love  is  a  great  magician ;  she  transforms  the 
desert  into  a  garden,  and  she  makes  the  wilder- 
ness blossom  like  the  rose. 

But  where  shall  we  get  the  love  wherewith  to 
make  our  enemy  lovely?  From  the  great  Lover 
Himself.  "  We  love,  because  He  first  loved  us." 
The  great  Lover  will  love  love  into  us !  And  we, 
too,  shall  become  fountains  of  love,  for  our  Lord 
will  open  "  rivers  in  the  high  places,  and  foun- 
tains in  the  midst  of  the  valleys." 


NOVEMBER  OKe  TKirtietK 


335 


THE  SPRING  AND  THE  RIVER 
"  With    the   Lord    there    is   mercy." — Psalm 
cxxx. 

HAT  is  the  ultimate  spring.  All  the 
pilgrims  of  the  night  may  meet  at 
that  fountain.  We  have  no  other 
il^O|  common  meeting-place.  If  we  make 
any  other  appointment  we  shall  lose 
one  another  on  the  way.  But  we  can  meet  one 
another  at  the  fountain,  men  of  all  colours,  and 
of  all  denominations,  and  of  all  creeds.  "  By 
Thy  mercy,  O  deliver  us,  good  Lord !  " 

"  There  is  forgiveness  with  Thee."  That  is 
the  quickening  river.  Sin  and  guilt  scorch  the 
fair  garden  of  the  soul  as  the  lightning  withers 
and  destroys  the  strong  and  beautiful  things  in 
woodland  and  field.  The  graces  are  stricken, 
holy  qualities  are  smitten,  and  the  soul  languishes 
like  a  blasted  heath.  But  from  the  fountain  of 
God's  mercy  there  flows  the  vitalizing  stream  of 
His  forgiveness.  "  There  is  a  river  the  streams 
whereof  shall  make  glad  the  city  of  God."  It  is 
the  mystic  "  river  of  life,  clear  as  crystal." 
"  Everything  shall  live  whither  the  river  cometh." 
"  With  Him  is  plenteous  redemption."  Salva- 
tion is  not  merely  a  recovered  flower,  it  is  a 
recovered  garden.  It  is  not  the  restoring  merely 
of  a  withered  hand ;  "  He  restoreth  my  soul." 
God  does  not  make  an  oasis  in  a  surrounding 
desert ;  He  makes  the  entire  wilderness  to  "  re- 
joice and  blossom  as  the  rose." 


336 


DECEMBER  OKe  First 


A  FAITHFUL  FRIEND 
Proverbs  xxvii.  i-io. 

FAITHFUL  friend  is  a  strong  de- 
fence." 

He  is  a  gift  of  God,  and  therefore 
a  "  means  of  grace."  The  Lord's 
seal  is  upon  his  ministry.  How  we 
impoverish  ourselves  by  separating  these  precious 
gifts  from  their  Giver?  We  desecrate  many  a 
fair  shrine  by  emptying  it  of  God.  We  turn 
many  a  temple  into  just  a  common  house.  When 
we  think  of  our  friend  let  us  link  him  to  our 
Father,  and  fall  upon  our  knees  in  grateful 
praise. 

He  is  God's  minister  in  his  encouragements. 
When  he  cheers  me,  it  is  "  the  Sun  of  righteous- 
ness who  rises  with  healing  in  His  wings."  All 
radiant  words  are  just  lamps  for  "  the  light  of 
life."  All  genial  speech  carries  flame  from  the 
altar  fire  of  heaven. 

And  he  is  God's  minister  in  his  reproofs.  He 
uses  a  clean  knife :  there  is  no  poison  on  the 
blade.  And  when  he  does  surgeon's  work  upon 
me,  it  is  clean  work,  healthy  work,  the  relentless 
enemy  of  disease.  Some  men  cut  me,  and  the 
wound  festers.  There  is'  malice  in  the  deed. 
My  friend  wounds  me  in  order  that  he  may  give 
me  a  larger,  sweeter  life. 


DECEMBER  OKe  Second 


33/ 


THE  LORD  AS  A  FRIEND 

John  xv.  8-17. 

E  are  my  friends  !  " 

In  my  Lord's  friendship  there  is 
the  ministry  of  sacrifice.  "  Greater 
love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a 
man  lay  down  his  life  for  his 
friends."  This  great  Friend  is  always  giving 
His  blood.  It  is  a  lasting  shame  when  professed 
Christians  are  afflicted  with  spiritual  anaemia. 
And  yet  we  are  often  so  fearful,  so  white-faced, 
so  chicken-hearted,  so  averse  from  battle,  that 
no  one  would  think  us  to  be  "  the  soldiers  of  the 
Lord."  We  need  blood.  "  Except  ye  drink  my 
blood  ye  have  no  life." 

And  in  my  Lord's  friendship  there  is  the 
privilege  of  most  intimate  communion. 

"  All  things  that  I  have  heard  of  my  Father 
I  have  made  known  unto  you."  He  takes  us  into 
His  confidence,  and  tells  us  His  secrets.  It  is 
His  delight  to  lift  the  veil,  and  give  us  constant 
surprises  of  love  and  grace.  He  discovers 
flowers  in  desert  places,  and  in  the  gloom  He 
unbosoms  "  the  treasures  of  darkness."  He  is 
a  Friend  of  inexhaustible  resource,  and  His  com- 
panionship makes  the  pilgrim's  way  teem  with 
interest,  and  abound  in  the  wonders  of  redeem- 
ing grace. 


338 


DECEMBER  ^e  TKird 


ARMS  AND  THE  MAN! 

I  Thessalonians  v.  4-10. 

HAT  wonderful  armour  is  offered  to 
me  in  which  to  meet  the  insidious 
assaults  of  the  devil ! 

There  is  "  the  armour  of  light." 
Sunlight  is  the  most  sanative  energy 
we  know.  It  is  the  foe  of  many  a  deadly  microbe 
which  seeks  a  lodging  in  our  bodies.  Light  is  a 
splendid  armour,  even  in  the  realm  of  the  flesh. 
And  so  it  is  in  the  soul.  If  the  soul  is  a  home 
of  light,  the  eternal  light,  evil  germs  will  die  as 
soon  as  they  approach  us.  They  will  find  noth- 
ing to  breed  on.  "  The  prince  of  this  world  Com- 
eth, and  hath  nothing  in  me." 

And  there  is  the  armour  of  "  faith  and  love." 
The  opposite  to  faith  is  uncertainty,  and  the  op- 
posite to  love  is  cynicism,  and  who  does  not  know 
that  uncertainty  and  cynicism  are  the  very  hot- 
beds for  the  machinations  of  the  evil  one  ?  When 
faith  is  enthroned  the  soul  is  open  to  the  recep- 
tion of  grace,  and  when  love  shares  the  throne 
the  sovereignty  is  invincible. 

And  there  is  the  armour  of  "  hope."  Even  in 
a  physical  ailment  a  man  has  a  mighty  ally  who 
wrestles  in  hope.  And  when  a  man's  hope  is  in 
the  Lord  his  God  all  the  powers  in  the  heavenly 
places  are  his  allies,  and  by  his  hope  he  shall  be 
saved. 


DECEMBER  Hlxe  Fourth 


339 


CHILDREN  OF  LIGHT 
I  Thessalonians  v.  5-1 1. 
AN  we  think  of  a  more  beautiful  fig- 
ure than  this — "children  of  light"? 
As  I  write  these  words  I  look  out 
upon  a  building  every  window  of 
which  is  ablaze  with  light,  every 
room  the  home  of  attractive  brightness.  And  my 
life  is  to  be  like  that!  And  I  look  again  and  I 
see  a  lighthouse  sending  out  its  strong,  pure, 
friendly  beams  to  guide  the  mariner  as  he  seeks 
his  "  desired  haven."  And  my  life  is  to  be  like 
that!  And  I  look  once  more,  and  I  see  a  com- 
mon road  lamp,  sending  its  useful  light  upon  the 
busy  street,  helping  the  wayfarer  as  he  goes  from 
place  to  place.  And  my  life  is  to  be  like  that ! 
And  if  my  soul  is  all  lit  up  in  friendly  radiance 
for  others,  the  light  will  be  my  own  defence. 
Light  always  scares  away  the  vermin.  Lift  up 
a  stone  in  the  meadow,  let  in  the  light,  and  see 
how  a  hundred  secret  things  will  scurry  away. 
And  light  in  the  soul  scares  away  "  the  unfruitful 
works  of  darkness  " ;  they  cannot  dwell  with  the 
light.  Light  repels  the  evil  one ;  it  acts  upon  him 
like  burning  flame.  Yes,  we  are  well  protected 
when  we  are  clothed  in  "  the  armour  of  light." 

But  how  can  we  become  "  children  of  light," 
holy  homes  of  protective  and  saving  radiance? 
Happily,  it  is  not  our  lot  to  provide  the  light,  it  is 
ours  to  provide  the  lamp.  If  we  offer  the  lamp 
the  Lord  will  give  the  flame. 


340 


DECEMBER  niie   Fifth 


THE  SECOND-BEST  FOR  GOD 
I  Chronicles  xvii.  1-15. 
O  the  best  was  for  man,  and  the  sec- 
ond-best for  God !  The  cedar  for 
self-indulgence,  and  the  curtains  for 
the  home  of  worship  !  It  is  a  marked 
sign  of  spiritual  awakening  when  a 
man  begins  to  contrast  his  own  indulgences  with 
the  rights  of  God.  There  are  so  many  of  us 
who  are  lavish  in  our  home  and  miserly  in  the 
sanctuary.  We  multiply  treasures  which  bring 
us  little  profit,  and  we  are  niggardly  where 
treasure  would  be  of  most  gracious  service. 

"  I  dwell  in  a  house  of  cedar,"  and  yet  I  am 
thoughtless  about  God's  poor!  For  I  must  re- 
member that  the  poor  are  the  arks  of  the  Lord. 
"  I  was  naked,  and  ye  clothed  Me  not." 

"  I  dwell  in  a  house  of  cedar  " ;  my  liberties 
are  many  and  spacious ;  and  yet  there  are  tribes 
of  God's  people  held  in  the  tyranny  of  dark  and 
hopeless  servitude.  I  dwell  in  England,  but 
what  about  the  folk  on  the  Congo?  I  dwell  in 
a  land  of  ample  religious  freedom,  but  what 
about  Armenia?  Do  my  sympathies  re-main  con- 
fined within  my  cedar  walls,  or  do  they  go  out 
to  God's  neglected  ones  in  every  land  and  clime? 


DECEMBER  ^lUe  Sixth 


341 


THE  GRACE  OF  LOWLINESS 

I  Chronicles  xvii.  16-27. 

^T  is  by  such  lowliness  that  we  arrive 
at  our  true  sovereignty.  All  spiritual 
treasures  are  hidden  along  the  ways 
of  humility,  and  it  is  meekness 
which  discovers  them.  The  uplifted 
head  of  pride  overlooks  them,  and  its  "  finds  " 
are  only  pleasure  of  the  passing  day. 

Lowliness  is  the  secret  of  spiritual  perceptive- 
ness.  I  find  my  sight  in  lowly  places.  The 
Sacred  Word  speaks  of  "  the  valley  of  vision." 
I  usually  associate  vision  and  outlook  with  moun- 
tain summits,  but  in  spiritual  realms  the  very 
capacity  to  use  the  heights  is  acquired  in  the 
vale. 

Lowliness  is  the  secret  of  spiritual  roominess. 
It  is  only  the  humble  man  who  has  any  room  for 
the  Lord.  All  the  chambers  in  the  proud  man's 
soul  are  thronged  with  self-conceits,  and  God 
is  crowded  out.  Our  Lord  always  finds  ample 
room  for  Himself  wherever  the  heart  bows  in 
humility  and  says :  "  I  am  not  worthy  that  Thou 
shouldst  come  under  my  roof." 


342 


DECEMBER  HTxe  Seventh 


CHOSEN  AS  BUILDERS 

"  Take  heed  now,  for  the  Lord  hath  chosen 
thee  to  build." — i  Chronicles  xxviii.  i-io. 

ND  how  must  he  take  heed?  For 
it  may  be  that  the  Lord  hath  also 
chosen  me  to  build,  and  the  counsel 
given  to  Solomon  may  serve  me  in 
this  later  day.  Let  me  listen. 
*' Serve  Him  with  a  perfect  heart."  God's 
chosen  builders  must  be  characterized  by  single- 
ness and  simplicity.  He  can  do  nothing  with 
"  double  "  men,  who  do  things  only  "  by  half," 
giving  one  part  to  Him  and  the  other  part  to 
Mammon.  It  is  like  offering  the  stock  of  a  gun 
to  one  man  and  the  barrel  to  another;  and  the 
effect  is  nil.  No,  the  entire  gun !  The  "  perfect 
heart " ! 

"  And  with  a  willing  mind."  For  the  willing 
mind  is  the  ready  mind,  and  God  can  do  noth- 
ing with  the  unready.  I  never  know  just  when 
He  will  call  me  to  add  another  stone  to  the  rising 
walls  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  and  if  I  am  "  other- 
wise engaged  "  I  am  a  grievous  hindrance  to  His 
gracious  plans.  He  must  be  willing  and  ready 
who  would  be  a  builder  of  the  walls  of  Zion. 
And  to  that  man  the  Lord  will  entrust  the  privi- 
lege of  responsibility. 


DECEMBER  Ol^e  EigKtK  343 


JUDGED  BY  OUR  ASPIRATIONS 
"  Thou  didst  well,  it  was  in  thine  heart." — 2 
Chronicles  vi.  1-15. 

|ND  this  was  a  purpose  which  the 
man  was  not  permitted  to  reaHze. 
It  was  a  temple  built  in  the  substance 
of  dreams,  but  never  established  in 
wood  and  stone.  And  God  took  the 
shadowy  structure  and  esteemed  it  as  a  per- 
fected pile.  The  sacred  intention  was  regarded 
as  a  finished  work.  The  will  to  build  a  temple 
was  regarded  as  a  temple  built.  And  hence  I 
discern  the  preciousness  of  all  hallowed  purpose 
and  desire,  even  though  it  never  receive  actual 
accomplishment.  "  Thou  didst  well,  it  was  in 
thine  heart." 

And  so  the  will  to  be,  and  the  will  to  do,  is 
acceptable  sacrifice  unto  the  Lord !  "  I  wish  I 
could  be  a  missionary  to  the  foreign  field,"  but 
the  duties  of  home  forbid.  But  as  a  missionary 
she  is  accepted  of  our  God,  even  though  she 
never  land  on  distant  shore.  Our  purposes  work, 
as  well  as  the  work  itself.  Desire  is  full  of  holy 
energy  as  well  as  fruition.  The  wish  to  do  good 
is  good  itself ;  the  very  longing  is  a  minister  in  the 
kingdom  of  our  God.  If,  therefore,  we  are  to  be 
judged  by  our  aspirations,  there  are  multitudes 
of  apparent  failures  who  will  one  day  be  re- 
vealed as  clothed  in  the  radiance  of  spiritual  vic- 
tory. 


344 


DECEMBER  Hlxe  MintK 


NATIONAL  BLESSEDNESS 

"Blessed  is  the  people  that  know  the  joyful 
sound." — Psalm  Ixxxix.  1-18. 

LESSED  is  the  people  who  love  the 
sound  of  the  silver  trumpet  which 
calls  to  holy  convocation !  Blessed 
is  the  people  who  are  sacredly  im- 
patient for  the  hour  of  holy  com- 
munion !  Blessed  is  the  people  "  in  whose  heart 
are  the  highways  to  Zion."  And  in  what  shall 
their  blessedness  consist? 

In  illumination.  "  They  shall  walk,  O  Lord, 
in  the  light  of  Thy  countenance."  The  favour 
of  the  Lord  shall  shine  upon  them  when  they 
walk  through  rough  and  troublous  places.  There 
shall  always  be  a  sunny  patch  where  the  soul  is 
in  communion  with  its  Lord. 

In  exultation.  "In  Thy  name  shall  they  re- 
joice all  the  day."  There  is  nothing  like  sun- 
shine for  making  the  spirits  dance !  Light  is  a 
great  emancipator,  a  great  breaker-up  of  frozen 
bondages.  It  thaws  "  the  genial  currents  of  the 
soul,"  and  the  stream  of  life  sings  in  its  prog- 
ress. 

In  exaltation.  "In  Thy  righteousness  shall 
they  he  exalted."  They  will  be  lifted  up  above 
their  enemies.  In  elevation  they  will  find  their 
safety.  God  lifts  us  above  our  passions,  above 
our  cares,  above  our  little  fears  and  tempers,  and 
we  find  our  peace  upon  the  heights. 


DECEMBER  OKe  Tenth 


345 


THE  ONLY  WISE  BEGINNING 
"  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wis- 
dom."— Psalm  cxi. 


F  I  want  to  do  anything  wisely  I  must 
begin  with  God.  That  is  the  very 
alphabet  of  the  matter.  Every  other 
beginning  is  a  perverse  beginning, 
and  it  will  end  in  sure  disaster.  "  I 
am  Alpha."  Everything  must  take  its  rise  in 
Him,  or  it  will  plunge  from  folly  into  folly,  and 
culminate  in  confusion. 

If  I  would  be  wise  in  my  daily  business  I  must 
begin  all  my  affairs  in  God.  My  career  itself 
must  be  chosen  in  His  presence,  and  in  the  il- 
lumination of  His  most  holy  Spirit.  And  in  the 
subsequent  days  nothing  must  be  done  that  is  not 
rooted  and  grounded  in  Him. 

If  I  would  be  wise  as  a  teacher  I  must  begin 
with  God.  I  must  not  merely  call  Him  in  to 
bless  my  lesson  when  my  labour  is  done.  The 
very  beginnings  of  my  thinkings  must  be  in  Him. 
Our  Lord  will  not  write  an  appendix  to  a  volume 
about  which  He  has  never  been  consulted. 
*'  They  who  seek  Me  early  shall  find  Me."  And 
so  it  is  with  the  varied  activities  of  our  multi- 
tudinous life.  If  we  would  have  them  shine  with 
quiet  wisdom  we  must  light  them  at  the  Sun  of 
glory. 


346 


DECEMBER  Hlxe  Eleventh 


THE    SPEECH    OF    THE   INCARNATION 

"  He  hath  spoken  to  us  in  His  Son." — 
Hebrews  i. 

ND  that  blessed  Son  spake  my 
language.  He  came  into  my 
troubled  conditions  and  expressed 
Himself  out  of  my  humble  lot.  My 
surroundings  afforded  Him  a 
language  in  which  He  made  known  His  good 
news.  The  carpenter's  shop,  the  shepherd  on 
the  hill,  the  ladened  vine,  a  wayside  well,  com- 
mon bread,  a  friend's  sickness,  the  desolation  of 
a  garden,  the  darkness  of  "  the  last  things  " — 
these  all  offered  Him  a  mode  of  speech  in  which 
He  unveiled  to  me  the  heart  of  God. 

He  came  as  the  Son  to  make  me  a  son.  For 
I  had  made  myself  a  slave,  and  called  my  bond- 
age freedom.  I  wore  my  badge  of  servitude  with 
unholy  pride.  But  when  He  came  and  spake  to 
me,  my  lost  inheritance  dawned  upon  my  won- 
dering eyes,  and  I  knew  myself  to  be  enslaved. 
But  His  was  the  glorious  mission  not  only  to 
awake  but  to  emancipate,  not  only  to  unveil  lost 
splendour  but  to  recover  it.  He  came  to  set  us 
free,  "  and  if  the  Son  shall  make  you  free  ye 
shall  be  free  indeed." 

"  This  my  son  was  lost  and  is  found."  Has 
that  great  word  been  spoken  concerning  me  in 
the  Father's  home  of  light?  "Lord,  I  would 
serve,  and  be  a  son.  Dismiss  me  not,  I  pray." 


DECEMBER  OKe  TxvelftK 


347 


RELATING  EVERYTHING  TO  GOD 

"  Whether  therefore  ye  eat,  or  drink,  or  what- 
ever ye  do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God." — i  Corin- 
thians X.  23-33. 

ND  so  all  my  days  would  constitute 
a  vast  temple,  and  life  would  be  a 
constant  worship.  This  is  surely  the 
science  and  art  of  holy  living — to 
relate  everything  to  the  Infinite. 
When  I  take  my  common  meal  and  relate  it  to 
"  the  glory  of  God,"  the  common  meal  becomes 
a  sacramental  feast.  When  my  labour  is  joined 
"  unto  the  Lord,"  the  sacred  wedding  turns  my 
workshop  into  a  church.  When  I  link  the  coun- 
try lane  to  the  Saviour,  I  am  walking  in  the  Gar- 
den of  Eden,  and  paradise  is  restored. 

The  fact  of  the  matter  is,  we  never  see  any- 
thing truly  until  we  see  it  in  the  light  of  the  glory 
of  God.  Set  a  dull  duty  in  that  light  and  it 
shines  like  a  diamond.  Set  a  bit  of  drudgery  in 
that  light  and  it  becomes  transfigured  like  the 
wing  of  a  starling  when  the  sunshine  falls  upon 
it.  Everything  is  seen  amiss  until  we  see  it  in 
the  glory !  And,  therefore,  it  is  my  wisdom  to 
set  everything  in  that  light,  and  to  do  all  to  the 
glory  of  God. 


348 


DECEMBER  OKe  TKirteentK 


THE  HOLY  AND  THE  PROFANE 

"Put  difference  between  the  holy  and  the 
unholy." — Leviticus  x.  i-io. 

HE  peril  of  our  day  is  that  so  many 
of  these  differences  are  growing 
faint.  The  holy  merges  into  the  un- 
holy, and  we  can  scarcely  see  the 
dividing  line.  Black  merges  into 
white  through  manifold  shades  of  grey.  False- 
hood slopes  into  truth  through  cunning  expedi- 
ences and  white  lies.  Lust  merges  into  purity 
through  conviviality  and  geniality  and  good-fel- 
lowship. So  is  one  thing  losing  itself  in  another, 
and  vivid  moral  distinctions  are  being  obscured 
and  effaced. 

There  is  only  one  way  to  keep  these  native 
contrasts  in  vivid  relief,  and  that  is  by  living  in 
the  unsullied  light  of  God's  holy  presence.  "  In 
Thy  light  shall  we  see  light."  Things  are  seen 
in  their  true  colours  only  when  we  bring  them 
before  the  great  white  throne.  Fabrics  seen  in 
the  gas-light  reveal  quite  other  shades  when  we 
bring  them  into  the  light  of  day.  We  must  not 
make  our  distinctions  in  the  gas-light  of  worldly 
standard  and  expediency ;  we  must  take  them 
into  His  presence  before  whose  radiance  even 
the  angels  veil  their  faces,  and  we  shall  see 
things  as  they  are,  and  we  shall  know  "  the  dif- 
ference between  the  holy  and  the  profane." 


DECEMBER  HTie  FourteentK 


349 


THE  SACRED   USE   OF  LIBERTY 

"  Take  heed  lest  this  liberty  of  yours  becomes 
a  stumbling-block." — i  Corinthians  viii.  8-13. 

I  HAT  is  a  very  solemn  warning.  My 
liberty  may  trip  someone  into  bond- 
age. If  life  were  an  afifair  of  one 
I  my  liberty  might  be  wholesome;  but 
it  is  an  affair  of  many,  and  my  lib- 
erty may  be  destructive  to  my  fellows.  I  am 
not  only  responsible  for  my  life,  but  for  its  in- 
fluence. When  a  thing  has  been  lived  there  is 
still  the  example  to  deal  with.  If  orange  peel 
be  thrown  upon  the  pavement,  that  is  not  the 
end  of  the  feast.  The  man  who  slips  over  the 
peel  is  a  factor  in  the  incident,  and  my  responsi- 
bility covers  him. 

I  am,  therefore,  to  consider  both  my  deeds  and 
their  influence.  How  does  my  life  trend  when 
it  touches  my  brother?  In  what  way  does  he 
move  because  of  the  impact  of  my  example? 
Towards  liberty  or  towards  license?  To  the 
swamps  of  transgression  or  to  the  fields  of  holi- 
ness? These  are  determining  questions,  and  I 
must  not  seek  to  escape  or  ignore  them.  My 
brother  is  a  vital  part  of  my  life.  I  must  never 
shut  him  out  of  my  sight.  How  is  he  influenced 
by  my  example?  "  If  meat  make  my  brother  to 
stumble,  I  will  eat  no  flesh  while  the  world 
standeth." 


350 


DECEMBER  OKe  FifteentK 


WHAT  IS  MY  TENDENCY r 

"  Whether  we  live,  we  live  unto  .  .  . " — 
Romans  xiv.  7-21. 

NTO  what?  In  what  direction  are 
we  living?  Whither  are  we  going? 
How  do  we  complete  the  sentence? 
"We  live  unto  money!"  That  is 
how  many  would  be  compelled  to 
finish  the  record.  Money  is  their  goal,  and  their 
goal  determines  their  tendency.  "  We  live  unto 
pleasure!"  Such  would  be  another  popular 
company.  "We  live  unto  fame!"  That  would 
be  the  banner  of  another  regiment.  "  We  live 
unto  ease!"  Thus  would  men  and  women  de- 
scribe their  quests.  "  Unto  "  what  ?  That  is  the 
searching  question  which  probes  life  to  its  in- 
nermost desire. 

"  For  whether  we  live,  we  live  unto  the  Lord." 
That  was  the  apostle's  unfailing  tendency,  in- 
creasing in  its  momentum  every  day.  He 
crashed  through  obstacles  in  his  glorious  quest. 
He  sought  the  Lord  through  everything  and  in 
everything.  When  new  circumstances  con- 
fronted him,  his  first  question  was  this — 
"  Where  is  Christ  in  all  this  ?  "  He  found  the 
right  way  across  every  trackless  moor  by  sim- 
ply seeking  Christ. 


DECEMBER  ^Ike  SixteentK  351 


THE  GREATEST  WONDERS 

Hebrews  xi.  30-40. 

|HE  greatest  wonders  are  not  in  Na- 
ture but  in  grace.  A  regenerated 
soul  is  a  greater  marvel  than  the 
marvel  of  the  spring-time.  A  trans- 
figured face  is  a  deeper  mystery  than 
a  sun-lit  garden.  To  rear  graces  in  a  life  once 
scorched  and  blasted  by  sin  is  more  wonderful 
than  to  grow  flowers  on  a  cinder-heap.  If  we 
want  to  see  the  realm  of  surpassing  wonders  we 
must  look  into  a  soul  that  has  been  born  again 
and  is  now  in  vital  union  with  the  living  Christ. 
Even  the  angels  watch  the  sight  with  ever-deep- 
ening awe  and  praise. 

As  the  spiritual  is  the  home  of  wonders,  so 
also  is  it  the  field  of  brightest  exploits.  It  is  not 
what  men  have  done  by  the  sword  that  counts 
in  the  esteem  of  heaven — such  deeds  mean  little 
or  nothing ;  it  is  what  they  have  done  "  by  faith." 
Weak,  frail  men  and  women  have  put  their  faith 
in  God,  and  have  done  the  impossible !  Faith 
unites  the  weakling  with  almightiness !  Faith 
makes  a  lonely  soul  one  with  "  the  spirits  of  just 
men  made  perfect,"  and  with  them  he  shares 
"  the  power  and  the  glory  "  of  the  eternal  God. 


352 


DECEMBER  <lke  Seventeenth 


GOD'S  PRESENCE  OUR  DEFENCE 
Exodus  xv.  11-18. 

HEN  we  invent  little  devices  to  pro- 
tect us  against  the  evil  one,  he  laughs 
at  our  petty  presumption.  It  is  like 
unto  a  child  erecting  sand  ramparts 
against  an  incoming  sea.  The  only 
thing  that  makes  the  devil  fear  is  the  presence  of 
God.  Our  money  can  do  nothing.  Our  culture 
can  do  nothing.  Our  social  status  can  do  noth- 
ing. Only  God  can  deal  with  devils.  "  By  the 
greatness  of  Thine  arm  they  shall  be  still  as  a 
stone."  When  Thou  art  with  me  "  I  will  fear 
no  evil " ;  the  fear  shall  be  with  my  foes. 

It  is,  therefore,  the  divine  in  anything  which 
endows  it  with  a  strong  defence.  If  the  holy 
God  dwells  in  our  culture,  then  our  culture  be- 
comes like  an  invulnerable  fort.  If  God  abides 
in  our  recreations,  then  our  very  sports  are 
armed  against  our  foes.  If  "  the  joy  of  the 
Lord  "  is  in  our  festivity,  then  our  very  merri- 
ment is  proof  against  the  invasion  of  the  world. 
When  the  Lord  is  in  us,  fear  dwells  in  the  op- 
posite camp.  "  Therefore  will  not  we  fear 
though  the  earth  be  removed,  and  though  the 
mountains  be  shaken  in  the  heart  of  the  seas." 


DECEMBER  OKe  EigKteentK 


353 


THE  SINNER'S  GUEST 

"  He  is  gone  to  be  guest  with  a  man  that  is  a 
sinner." — Luke  xix.  i-io. 

T  was  hurled  as  an  accusation ;  it  has 
been  treasured  as  a  garland.  It  was 
first  said  in  contempt ;  it  is  repeated 
in  adoration.  It  was  thought  to  re- 
veal His  earthliness ;  it  is  now  seen 
to  unveil  His  glory.  Our  Saviour  seeks  the 
home  of  the  sinner.  The  Best  desires  to  be  the 
guest  of  the  worst.  He  spreads  His  kindnesses 
for  the  outcasts,  and  He  offers  His  friendship 
to  the  exile  on  the  loneliest  road.  He  waits  to 
befriend  the  defeated,  the  poor  folk  with  ach- 
ing consciences  and  broken  wills.  He  loves  to 
go  to  souls  that  have  lost  their  power  of  flight, 
like  birds  with  broken  wings,  which  can  only 
flutter  in  the  unclean  road.  He  went  to  Zac- 
chseus. 

Yes,  the  Lord  went  to  be  "  guest  with  a  man 
that  is  a  sinner,"  and  He  changed  the  sinner  into 
a  saint.  The  worldling  found  wings.  The  stone 
became  flesh.  Gentle  emotions  began  to  stir  in 
a  heart  hardened  by  heedlessness  and  sin.  Resti- 
tution took  the  place  of  greed.  The  home  of  the 
sinner  became  the  temple  of  the  Lord.  "  To-day 
is  salvation  come  to  this  house  forasmuch  as  he 
also  is  a  son  of  Abraham." 


354  DECEMBER  Hl^e  NineteentK 


THE  SUN  OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS 
"A  light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles." — Luke  ii. 
25-40. 

I  HAT  was  the  wonder  of  wonders. 
Hitherto  the  light  had  been  supposed 
to  be  for  Israel  alone;  and  now  a 
heavenly  splendour  was  to  fall  upon 
the  Gentiles.  Hitherto  the  light  had 
been  thought  of  as  a  lamp,  illuming  a  single 
place ;  now  it  was  to  be  a  sun,  shedding  its  glory 
upon  a  world.  The  "  people  that  sat  in  dark- 
ness "  are  now  to  see  "  a  great  light."  New 
regions  are  to  be  occupied ;  there  is  to  be  day- 
break everywhere  !  "  The  Sun  of  Righteousness 
is  arisen,  with  healing  in  His  wings." 

"  To  lighten  the  Gentiles !  "  And  thus  the 
heavenly  beams  have  come  to  thee  and  me,  to 
Europe  and  America,  and  to  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth.  The  amazing  privilege  is  our  personal 
inheritance.  We  are  born  to  glorious  rights  in 
Christ  Jesus.  But  a  wealthy  heir  may  neglect 
this  inheritance.  We  may  have  the  light  and  ne- 
glect our  garden.  We  may  have  all  the  favours 
of  a  blessed  clime,  and  yet  our  life  may  be  like 
a  wilderness.  The  Gentiles  may  have  the  light, 
and  may  yet  be  children  of  the  darkness.  It  is 
ours  to  believe  in  the  light  that  our  lives  may  be- 
come "  light  in  the  Lord." 


DECEMBER  OKe  Twentieth 


355 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  LORD 

John  i.  1-14. 

Y  Lord  came  as  "  the  word."  He 
came  as  the  expression  of  the  mind 
of  the  eternal  God.  Ordinary 
words  could  not  have  carried  the 
"  good  news."  Ordinary  language 
was  an  altogether  inadequate  vessel  for  this  new 
wine.  And  so  the  mighty  news  was  spoken  in 
the  incarnation  of  the  Lord. 

My  Lord  came  as  "  life."  "  In  Him  was  life." 
But  not  a  mere  cupful  of  life,  or  even  a  cup  run- 
ning over.  He  came  as  "  the  fountain  of  life." 
Nay,  if  I  had  the  requisite  word  I  must  get  even 
behind  and  beyond  this.  For  He  was  the  Cre- 
ator of  fountains.  "  The  water  that  I  shall  give 
him  shall  be  in  him  a  well."  Yes,  He  was  the 
fountain  of  fountains ! 

The  Lord  came  as  "  light."  "  The  life  was 
the  light."  True  light  is  always  the  child  of  life. 
Our  clearest  light  comes  not  from  speech  or  doc- 
trine, still  less  does  it  emerge  from  controversy. 
It  is  the  fine,  subtle  issue  of  fine  living.  And  my 
light  is  to  "  shine  before  men  "  by  reason  of  the 
indwelling  life  of  the  Christ. 

And  my  Lord  came  as  "  power."  "  To  them 
gave  He  power."  All  the  power  I  need  for  a 
full,  holy,  healthy  life  I  can  find  in  Him.  Every 
obligation  has  its  corresponding  inspiration,  and 
I  am  competent  to  do  His  will. 


356 


DECEMBER  <lke  Twenty-first 


THE  LORD  OF  WORKING  MEN 

Luke  ii.  8-20. 

ND  so  the  good  news  was  told  to 
\  shepherds,  to  working  men  who 
were  toiling  in  the  fields.  The  com- 
ing King  would  hallow  the  common 
work  of  man,  and  in  His  love  and 
grace  all  the  problems  of  labour  would  find  a 
solution. 

The  Lord  of  the  Christmas-tide  throws  a  halo 
over  common  toil.  Even  Christian  people  have 
not  all  learnt  the  significance  of  the  angels'  visit 
to  the  lonely  shepherds.  Some  of  us  can  see 
the  light  resting  upon  a  bishop's  crosier,  but  we 
cannot  see  the  radiance  on  the  ordinary  shep- 
herd's staff.  We  can  discern  the  hallowedness 
of  a  priest's  vocation,  but  we  see  no  sanctity  in 
the  calling  of  the  grocer,  or  of  the  scavenger  in 
the  street.  We  can  see  the  nimbus  on  the  few, 
but  not  on  the  crowd ;  on  the  unusual,  but  not 
upon  the  commonplace.  But  the  very  birth- 
hour  of  Christianity  irradiated  the  humble  doings 
of  humble  people.  When  the  angels  went  to  the 
shepherds,  common  work  was  encircled  with  an 
immortal  crown. 

And  it  is  in  the  Lord  Jesus  that  all  labour 
troubles  are  to  be  put  to  rest.  If  we  work  from 
any  other  centre  we  shall  arrive  at  confusion 
confounded.     "  I  have  the  keys." 


DECEMBER  HTie  Twenty-second  357 


THE  LORD  OF  THE  WORSHIPPER 

Luke  ii.  25-35. 

ND  so  the  good  news  was  taken  to 
the  worshipper  bowing  within  the 
gates  of  the  Temple.  The  soul  of 
old  Simeon  was  filled  with  holy  sat- 
isfaction and  peace.  The  cravings 
of  the  heart  were  quieted,  and  its  desires  found 
the  coveted  feast  in  the  holy  Child  of  God. 

And  thus  the  Lord  Jesus  was  not  only  to  dig- 
nify the  body  but  to  gratify  the  soul.  He  was  to 
be  most  efficient  where  He  was  most  needed. 
And  this  has  been  the  unfailing  experience  of 
the  years.  There  is  a  hunger  in  my  soul  for 
which  I  can  find  no  satisfying  bread.  I  have 
tried  many  breads ;  I  have  tried  nature,  and  art, 
and  music,  and  literature,  and  I  have  tried 
human  fellowship  and  social  service.  But  my 
soul  is  hungry  still !  And  the  Lord  Jesus  comes 
to  me,  as  I  reverently  grope  in  the  vast  temple, 
and  He  "  satisfies  the  hungry  soul  "  with  good 
things.  His  "  bread  of  life  "'  is  very  wonderful ; 
it  lifts  the  soul  into  the  restfulness  of  strength, 
and  gives  me  a  strange  buoyancy,  and  "  the 
glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God." 

"  My  soul,  wait  thou  only  on  Him !  "  He  is 
thy  hope,  thy  strength,  and  thy  salvation!  He 
is  "  the  desire  of  all  the  nations." 


358        DECEMBER  <TKe  Twenty-tKird 


THE  LORD  OF  THE  STUDENTS 

Matthew  ii.  1-12. 

ND  so  the  good  news  came  to  "  wise 
men,"  shall  we  say  to  students,  busy- 
ing themselves  with  the  vast  and  in- 
tricate problems  of  the  mind.  And 
the  evangel  offered  the  students 
mental  satisfaction,  bringing  the  interpreting 
clue,  beaming  upon  them  with  the  guiding  ray 
which  would  lead  them  into  perfect  noon. 

Yes,  our  wise  men  must  find  the  key  of  wis- 
dom in  the  Lord.  In  a  wider  sense  than  the 
meaning  of  the  original  word  it  is  true  that  "  the 
fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom." 
To  seek  mental  satisfactions  and  leave  out  Jesus 
is  like  trying  to  make  a  garden  and  leave  out  the 
sun.  "  Without  Me  ye  can  do  nothing,"  not  even 
in  the  unravelling  of  the  problems  which  beset 
and  besiege  the  mind. 

If  my  mental  pilgrimage  is  to  be  as  "  a  shining 
light  shining  more  and  more  even  unto  perfect 
day,"  I  must  begin  with  Jesus,  and  pay  homage 
to  His  Kingly  and  incomparable  glory.  I  must 
lay  my  treasures  at  His  feet,  "  gold,  and  frank- 
incense, and  myrrh."  Then  will  He  lead  me 
"  into  all  truth,"  and  "  the  truth  shall  make  me 
free." 


DECEMBER  HTie  Twenty-fourtK       359 


ENTERING  IN  AT  LOWLY  DOORS 

'  Unto  lis  a  Child  is  born." — Isaiah  ix.  1-7. 

|OW  gentle  the  coming'!  Who  would 
have  had  sufficient  daring  of  im- 
agination to  conceive  that  God  Al- 
mighty would  have  appeared  among 
men  as  a  little  child  ?  We  should 
have  conceived  something  sensational,  phenom- 
enal, catastrophic,  appalling !  The  most  awful  of 
the  natural  elements  would  have  formed  His 
retinue,  and  men  would  be  chilled  and  frozen 
with  fear.  But  He  came  as  a  little  child.  The 
great  God  "  emptied  Himself  " ;  He  let  in  the 
light  as  our  eyes  were  able  to  bear  it. 

"  Unto  us  a  Son  is  given."  And  that  is  the 
superlative  gift !  The  love  that  bestows  such  gift 
is  all-complete  and  gracious.  And  the  Son  is 
given  in  order  that  we  may  all  be  born  into  son- 
ship.  It  is  the  Son's  ministry  to  make  sons. 
"  Now  are  we  the  sons  of  God,"  and  we  are  of 
His  creation. 

"Lord,  I  would  serve,  and  be  a  son; 
Dismiss  me  not,  I  pray." 


360 


DECEMBER  Olie  Twenty-f  fth 


CHRISTMAS  CHEER 
Good  will  toward  men." — Luke  ii.  8-20. 

HE  heavens  are  not  filled  with  hos- 
tility. The  sky  does  not  express  a 
frown.  When  I  look  up  I  do  not 
contemplate  a  face  of  brass,  but  the 
face  of  infinite  good  will.  Yet  when 
I  was  a  child,  many  a  picture  has  made  me  think 
of  God  as  suspicious,  inhumanly  watchful,  al- 
ways looking  round  the  corner  to  catch  me  at 
the  fall.  That  "  eye,"  placed  in  the  sky  of  many 
a  picture,  and  placed  there  to  represent  God, 
filled  my  heart  with  a  chilling  fear.  That  God 
was  to  me  a  magnified  policeman,  watching  for 
wrong-doers,  and  ever  ready  for  the  infliction  of 
punishment.  It  was  all  a  frightful  perversion 
of  the  gracious  teaching  of  Jesus. 

Heaven  overflows  with  good  will  toward  men ! 
Our  God  not  only  wishes  good,  He  wills  it ! 
"  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,"  as  the  sacred 
expression  of  His  infinite  good  will.  He  has 
good  will  toward  thee  and  me,  and  mine  and 
thine.  Let  that  holy  thought  make  our  Christ- 
mas cheer. 


DECEMBER  Hl^e  Twenty-sixtK 


361 


DAYBREAK  IN  THE  SOUL 

Isaiah  ix.  1-7. 

T  is  a  lonely  and  a  chilling  experi- 
ence to  sit  in  the  darkness.  And  the 
gloom  and  the  cold  are  all  the  more 
intense  when  there  is  death  in  the 
house.  In  such  conditions  we  are 
in  great  need  of  light  and  fire. 

And  that  is  how  the  children  of  men  were 
feeling  before  the  Saviour  came.  They  "  sat  in 
darkness  "  and  in  "  the  shadow  of  death."  The 
world  was  cold,  and  sin  and  death  were  in  it,  and 
they  longed  for  light  and  cheer.  And  "  the  great 
Light  came,"  and  His  wonderful  Presence  not 
only  illumines  the  house  but  banishes  the  fear 
of  sin  and  death.  "  They  that  dwelt  in  the  land 
of  the  shadow  of  death,  upon  them  hath  the  light 
shined." 

Where  can  we  get  this  living  light  except  in 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ?  Everything  else  is 
candle-light !  It  fails  us  in  the  midnight.  It 
flickers  amid  conflicting  currents.  It  goes  out  in 
the  rough  blast.  The  light  of  art  and  of  literature 
fails  me  when  I  need  them  most.  When  I  sit 
in  the  darkness,  with  death  in  the  house,  these 
kindly  ministers  have  no  effective  beams.  I 
turn  to  the  Master,  and  He  shines  upon  me, 
and  it  is  daybreak  in  the  soul ! 


362     DECEMBER  Hlxe  Twenty-seventK 


THE  SUNNY  SIDE  OF  THINGS 

I  John  i.  1-7. 

HAVE  just  come  out  of  a  gloomy 
room  into  a  sunny  room  to  write 
these  words.  I  had  my  choice.  I 
could  have  stayed  in  the  sombre 
room,  but  I  choose  to  come  into  the 
sunlit  room  and  the  warm,  cheering  beams  are 
even  now  falling  upon  my  page.  "  Walk  in  the 
light !  "  And  I  make  my  choice,  and  how  often 
I  choose  to  walk  without  Christ  in  the  unfertiliz- 
ing  and  unfruitful  gloom  of  self-will !  In  the 
light  of  the  Lord  I  could  have  a  garden  of  Eden ; 
how  often  I  choose  the  dingy  wilderness  where  I 
can  grow  neither  flowers  nor  fruits. 

"  Walk  in  the  light."'  The  Lord's  companion- 
ship always  makes  the  sunny  side  of  the  street. 
It  may  be  that  the  way  is  rough  and  stony  and 
difficult,  but  in  His  company  there  is  light  that 
never  fails,  compared  with  which  the  world's 
noontide  is  only  as  the  gloomiest  night.  And 
the  souls  that  "  walk  in  the  light "  gather 
"  sacred  sweets  "  all  along  the  way.  Heavenly 
fruits  grow  for  the  children  of  light,  fruits  of 
love  and  joy  and  peace,  and  the  favoured  pil- 
grim plucks  them  as  he  goes  along.  "  All  I  find 
in  Jesus."  The  way  of  light  is  the  way  of  de- 
light, and  "  the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  our  strength." 


DECEMBER  ^TUe  T>wenty-eigKth       363 


IN  HIM  WAS  LIFE 


i-il 


John  i. 

HAVE  heard  men  speak  of  "  want- 
ing to  see  a  bit  of  life,"  and  I  found 
that  what  they  meant  was  to  see  a 
bit  of  death.  It  is  as  if  a  man  should 
go  to  the  hospital  to  see  a  bit  of 
health,  or  as  if  he  should  go  to  a  gory  battlefield 
to  see  the  human  frame.  It  is  like  going  to  a 
refuse-heap  to  see  a  bit  of  garden.  Life  is  not 
found  in  fields  of  license ;  it  is  not  found  among 
the  wild  oats  of  a  dissipated  youth.  Life  is  found 
only  in  Christ,  and  if  we  want  to  see  a  bit  of  life 
we  must  go  to  Him. 

"  In  Him  was  life  " ;  and  that  not  merely  to 
be  looked  at  but  to  be  shared.  He  is  the  well  to 
which  everybody  can  bring  his  pitcher,  and  take 
it  away  filled.  And  my  pitcher  is  just  my  need. 
"  AW  the  fitness  He  requires  is  to  feel  our  need 
of  Him."  The  Life  is  all-sufficient  for  the  needs 
of  the  race.  This  Life  can  vitalize  all  that  is 
withered  and  dead ;  it  can  make  decrepit  wills 
muscular  and  mighty,  and  it  can  transfigure  the 
leper  with  the  glow  and  purity  of  perfect  health. 

"  Thou  of  life  the  Fountain  art, 
Freely  let  me  take  of  Thee." 


364  DECEMBER  ^e  Twenty-nintK 


THE  LOVE  OF  GOD 

I  John  iv.  7-14. 

ET  me  more  assiduously  think  of 
God's  love.  Let  me  sit  down  to 
it.  In  the  National  Gallery  can  be 
seen  two  sorts  of  people.  There  are 
the  mere  vagrants,  who  are  always 
"  on  the  move,"  passing  from  picture  to  picture, 
without  seeing  any.  And  there  are  the  students, 
who  sit  down,  and  contemplate,  and  meditate, 
and  appropriate,  and  saturate.  And  there  are 
vagrants  in  respect  to  the  love  of  the  Lord.  They 
have  a  passing  glimpse,  but  the  impression  is  not 
vital  and  vitalizing,  and  there  are  the  students, 
who  are  always  gazing,  and  who  are  continually 
crying,  "  O  the  depth  of  the  riches  of  the  love  of 
God  in  Christ !  "  "  His  riches  are  unsearch- 
able !  " 

And  God's  love  is  the  creator  of  my  love. 
"  While  I  muse  the  fire  burns."  I  am  kindled 
into  the  same  holy  passion.  That  is  to  say,  con- 
templation determines  character.  •  We  acquire 
the  hues  of  the  things  to  which  we  cling.  To 
hold  fellowship  with  love  is  to  become  loveful 
and  lovely.  "  We  love  because  He  first  loved 
us." 

And  then,  in  the  third  place,  it  is  through  my 
love  that  I  know  my  Lord.  "  Everyone  that 
loveth  knoweth  God."  Love  is  the  lens  through 
which  I  discern  the  secret  things  of  God. 


DECEMBER  HTie  Thirtieth 


365 


THE  BLESSEDNESS  OF  FORGIVENESS 
''Blessed  is  he  whose   transgression  is  for- 
given."— Psalm  xxxii. 

T  is  the  blessedness  of  emancipation. 
The  boat  which  has  been  tethered  to 
the  weird,  baleful  shore  is  set  free, 
and  sails  toward  the  glories  of  the 
morning.  The  man,  long  cramped 
in  the  dark,  imprisoning  pit,  is  brought  out,  and 
stretches  his  limbs  in  the  sweet  light  and  air  of 
God's  free  world.  Black  servitude  is  ended ; 
glorious  liberty  begins. 

It  is  the  blessedness  of  education.  For  when 
we  are  freed  we  are  by  no  means  perfected.  We 
are  liberated  babes ;  and  our  Emancipator  does 
not  desert  us  in  our  spiritual  infancy.  The 
foundling  is  not  abandoned.  "  Having  loved  His 
own  He  loved  them  unto  the  end."  He  begins 
with  us  in  the  spiritual  nursery,  and  He  will  train 
and  lead  and  feed  us  until  we  are  "  perfect  in 
Christ  Jesus." 

Therefore  is  it  the  blessedness  of  exultation. 
The  babe  is  resting  on  the  bosom  of  the  Lord, 
and  "  the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  his  strength."  It  is 
not  my  emancipation  that  ensures  my  joy ;  it  is 
the  abiding  Presence  of  the  Emancipator. 


366  DECEMBER  OKe  TKirty-first 


THE  REAR-GUARD 

"  Goodness  and  mercy  shall  follow  me  all  the 
days  of  my  life." — Psalm  xxiii. 

UT  why  "follow"  me?  Why  not 
"  go  before  "?  Because  some  of  my 
enemies  are  in  the  rear;  they  attack 
me  from  behind.  There  are  foes  in 
my  yesterdays  which  can  give  me 
fatal  wounds.  They  can  stab  me  in  the  back ! 
If  I  could  only  get  away  from  the  past !  Its  guilt 
dogs  my  steps.  Its  sins  are  ever  at  my  heels.  I 
have  turned  my  face  toward  the  Lord,  but  my 
yesterdays  pursue  me  like  a  relentless  hound ! 
So  I  have  an  enemy  in  the  rear. 

But,  blessed  be  His  name,  my  mighty  God  is 
in  the  rear  as  well  as  my  foe.  "  Goodness  and 
mercy  shall  follow  me !  "  No  hound  can  break 
through  that  defence.  Between  me  and  my  guilt 
there  is  the  infinite  love  of  the  Lord.  The  loving 
Lord  will  not  permit  my  past  to  destroy  my 
soul.  I  may  sorrow  for  my  past,  but  my  very 
sorrow  shall  be  a  minister  of  moral  and  spiritual 
health.  My  Lord  is  Lord  of  the  past  as  well  as 
of  the  morrow,  and  so  to-day  "  I  will  trust  and 
not  be  afraid." 


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DATE  DUE 

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